The president and CEO of Ernst Publishing Company, a provider of closing cost data for the real estate and home finance industries, is weighing in on critical challenges--and potential solutions--in the current mortgage marketplace. Participating in The Changemaker, a new podcast series, Ernst's leader, Gregory E. Teal, shed light on initiatives and strategies that have the potential to positively impact the future of housing.
Read More »Hammerhouse Expands North Carolina Office, Adds to Staff
Hammerhouse LLC announced it has expanded its Eastern U.S. headquarters and brought on additional staff in order to meet the increased demands of its growing client base.
Read More »Zillow Mortgage Marketplace Now Available on iPad
Mortgage Marketplace is one of Zillow's app suite that features 15 realestate-related mobile apps across all major platforms. The app provides a transparent lending marketplace where borrowers can connect to reputable lenders to find personalized loan options and get a variety of competitive mortgage rates.
Read More »Mortgage Insurers to Allow Short Sales, Deeds-in-Lieu Without Approval
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac servicers will be able to skip a step when attempting to get a short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure approved. On Wednesday, the GSEs announced standard delegation agreements were reached with nine mortgage insurers to allow servicers to complete short sales and deeds-in-lieu without seeking approval from the mortgage insurer. The agreement takes effect November 1. The short sale or deed-in-lieu still has to meet the GSEs' requirements, but servicers don't have to wait for mortgage insurers to offer their stamp of approval.
Read More »PenFed Foundation on Track to Help Record Number of Military Families
The Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation (PenFed Foundation) is on track to give away a record number of grants this year through its Dream Makers program.
Read More »Agencies Announce Mortgage Relief Strategies for Disaster Victims
The GSEs and HUD are rolling out relief strategies for borrowers caught in the devastation brought on by Hurricane Sandy.
Read More »Artists’ Hamptons Abode Back on the Market for $15M
Relisting his pricey pad in the Hamptons, artist Ross Bleckner has put his palatial estate on the market for $15 million. Located in Sagaponack, New York, Bleckner's abode boasts multiple structures, including a main home with an ocean view, a cedar-shingled guest cottage, and an art studio.
Read More »Regulators Advise Institutions Affected by Hurricane Sandy
Federal regulators released a notice Tuesday stating their support for financial institutions operating in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. They both encouraged affected institutions to work to meet the needs of their communities and expressed their lenience on certain reporting and publishing requirements for those institutions.
Read More »Pro Teck: Falling Supply to Create Spike in New Home Prices
The U.S. housing market "has entered a sustainable period of improving conditions," Pro Teck Valuations CEO Tom O'Grady says in the company's most recent Home Value Forecast. Each of the company's forecasts picks a housing trend and studies its influence on the market. This particular update shines a spotlight on months of remaining inventory (MRI) of new homes listed for sale and examines how that statistic affects median single family home price changes.
Read More »Consumer Appetite for Online Mortgage Applications On the Rise
Mortgagebot has seen 800,000 online mortgage loan applications pass through its system year-to-date as of the end of September.
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