Originations

Mortgage rates move lower for first time in four weeks

For the first time in four weeks, mortgage rates have moved lower, following another seven-day period where the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield moved in a wide range. However, rates are still at levels last seen in February, the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed. “The average mortgage rate decreased this week, which is welcome […]

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Volo secures funding to expand expat mortgage lending

A mortgage lender helping Americans buy homes abroad received a capital boost this week thanks to a new warehouse agreement with an investment management firm.  Volo Loans, which specializes in serving U.S. citizens looking to finance properties in Costa Rica, landed its $50 million investment from Gramercy Funds Management, a global firm specializing in emerging

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Closed-end seconds lead overall home equity loan growth

Closed-end home equity loan annual growth outpaced its line of credit cousin in the fourth quarter, increasing 13% above its high point from a year ago, the TransUnion first quarter Home Equity Trends Report found. Total home equity origination, in which TransUnion counts first mortgage refinance activity as well (although it does not distinguish between

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US home purchase applications gauge declines to a five-week low

US mortgage applications for home purchases declined to a five-week low even as rates eased from the highest level since late January. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of applications for home purchases decreased 4.4% to 155 in the week ended May 30, which included the Memorial Day holiday. The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage

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Dark Matter to offer e-close capabilities through Nova LOS

Mortgage software provider Dark Matter Technologies is making electronic closing capabilities available on another of its loan-origination systems through a new agreement with Wolters Kluwer. The technology firm will offer e-closings on the Nova LOS platform, a system it added to its product suite alongside its primary Empower origination system in the latter half of

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Home equity lending has strong two-year runway ahead

The next 12-to-24 months will be a good time for the home equity lending market because of the conditions affecting the first lien business, experts say. With elevated mortgage rates, the amount of equity homeowners hold right now and the relative shortage of inventory “it’s a really lucrative environment for home equity, and has been

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Dollar value of for-sale listings hits all-time high

The combined sum of for-sale listings on the market at the end of April hit a record, with homes both sitting on the market longer and more inventory arriving, according to a Redfin report. The total value of listings came in at $698 billion at month’s end, the real estate brokerage said. The amount surged

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Home equity lending is flourishing as HELOC rates fall

Home equity lending hasn’t been this hot in almost two decades.  Second-lien equity withdrawals approached 2008 levels in the recent first quarter, according to Intercontinental Exchange. Homeowners grabbed nearly $25 billion in home equity lines of credit, while overall first quarter equity withdrawals, including cash-out refinances, totaled $45 billion.  Introductory rates on second-lien HELOCs fell

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