Researchers at the FRB of Richmond demonstrate how banks that gain local market share by acquiring an existing bank are likely to decrease FHA lending even while increasing conventional lending.

FHFA Director Pulte frustrated by credit bureaus; mortgage locks decline in December; Mr. Cooper plans layoffs in California.

Leaders at the three major credit bureaus, which own VantageScore, expect to see strong revenues and profits as the GSEs allow VantageScore to compete with FICO.

Lenders with high adoption rates for tools from Freddie Mac like automated collateral estimator and asset and income modeler have significantly lower per-loan costs and higher per-loan profits, the GSE says.

Sellers are unwilling to budge on price and buyers are waiting for better deals or a shift in market, prompting more delistings.

When g-fees increase, lenders unable to pass the added cost through to all borrowers tend to ration credit by rejecting more loans and charging higher rates, according to new research.

Deliveries of high-risk purchase loans to the GSEs saw minor increases in the third quarter. But lenders expanded the credit for such loans in the refi sector. (Includes two data tables.)

Small investors, who own five or fewer properties, are increasingly turning to debt service coverage ratio financing to grow their portfolios.

Employers are increasingly offering downpayment assistance programs as a way to boost employee recruitment and retention.

The perceived morality of mortgage forbearance increases when the borrower pays for the option to forbear, regardless of the political affiliation or personal characteristics of the borrower, according to researchers.