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Longbridge’s ‘HELOC for Seniors’ is officially on the market

Longbridge Financial has officially launched a home equity line of credit (HELOC) program that’s designed for homeowners ages 62 and older, offering approval and funding in as little as five business days.  The move marks an expansion beyond the company’s core reverse mortgage business while staying focused on older borrowers. This demographic collectively holds nearly […]

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Top Douglas Elliman team expands into Westchester, Connecticut

Top-performing Douglas Elliman-brokered large team, The Michael Lorber Team is expanding into Connecticut.  The Michael Lorber Team is the No. 6 ranked large team in New York after recording $269.05 million in sales volume across 101 transaction sides in 2024, according to the 2025 RealTrends Verified Rankings.  “Our team has built a strong reputation representing

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Rising insurance costs deepen homeownership strain

Homeowners are spending a growing share of their mortgage payments on property insurance, which is now rising faster than principal, interest and taxes, according to the September ICE Mortgage Monitor. Data shows that annual property insurance payments for single-family mortgage holders now average nearly $2,370. That amounts to 9.6% of monthly mortgage-related expenses, the highest

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Hometap closes $300M securitization of home equity investments

Boston-based Hometap has closed a $300 million securitization of home equity investment (HEI) loans originated by the company, marking its fifth transaction in the space.  The deal, closed on Aug. 29, included a $231 million Class A tranche rated at BBB(sf) and a $12 million Class B tranche rated at BBB(low)(sf) by Morningstar DBRS.  “Through

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With a Fed rate cut likely, how big could the refinance wave be?

Mortgage rates at their lowest levels in nearly a year are driving a wave of refinance opportunities for lenders ahead of the Federal Reserve’s expected rate cut next week. The shift is encouraging more borrowers to leave the sidelines, with small rate moves already triggering meaningful activity. “Refinance businesses increased significantly from the first quarter,

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Stephen Miran may join the Fed before the next interest rate vote

Last month, President Donald Trump nominated Stephen Miran to fill a vacant seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. And much like other Trump administration picks that require Senate confirmation, Miran’s selection has drawn skepticism from Democratic lawmakers. Miran met last week with members of the Senate banking committee, and a full floor vote

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Assurant Lending Solutions unveils insurance verification tool HOIVerify

Assurant Inc. on Monday announced the launch of HOIVerify Origination, an API-enabled solution that streamlines and automates insurance verification during the mortgage origination process. “Assurant’s HOIVerify product suite modernizes the complex mortgage loan process,” Greg Tuttle, senior vice president of Assurant Lending Solutions, said in a statement. “HOIVerify Origination is a proprietary platform that automates

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Pennymac announces equity stake, partnership with Vesta

Pennymac Financial Services Inc. announced on Monday that it has taken a long-term minority equity stake in Vesta Innovations Inc. as part of an effort to modernize the mortgage process. The investment is part of a partnership between the two companies, also announced on Monday, which aims to streamline mortgage applications and enhance the customer

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Qualia launches agentic AI tool to streamline the title process

In 2024, a study by title production software company Qualia found that the vast majority of title professionals use artificial intelligence. Over the past year, Qualia put that finding to good use, as it announced on Monday the launch of its agentic AI tool Qualia Clear. According to Qualia, the technology turns its title production

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The loan officer’s job is gone, but the Mortgage Advisor’s job is here to stay

For decades, the mortgage industry trained us to believe our job as loan officers was clear and defined. A family or individual decided to buy a home, they came to us, and we stepped in to help them finance it. The process was straightforward: get them pre-approved, explain the numbers, shepherd the loan through closing

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