HUD issues guidance on mortgage advertising; UWM expands title services for brokers; Freedom issues debt; Incenter offers review services for taxes and insurance; most housing inventory in Florida, Texas.

PennyMac booked a weak increase in servicing income due to a large loss tied to hedges for MSRs; First American’s CEO doesn’t expect the CFPB’s effort on lender’s title insurance to change much.

A deep dive into closing costs by the JPMorgan Chase Institute found that borrowers pay more in closing cost fees when leaning on brokers and nonbank lenders for mortgage financing.

Flexible nonbanks weathering the storm; layoffs continue at mortgage companies; tepid demand for mortgages on new homes; best execution analysis; Rocket preps AI offering; Equifax boosts mortgage-related revenue.

Better saw improvements in its pull-through rates in a pilot program in which the lender paid its LOs commissions. The lender found that its no-commission model didn’t work well for purchase mortgages.

A new research paper finds that mergers between real estate agencies and lenders can help boost origination market share but can also cost borrowers more in the long run.

The FDIC’s updated economic inclusion strategic plan includes a goal to increase mortgage lending by banks. The plan leans heavily on education and outreach, though CRA credit could also be an option.

The mortgage process met or exceeded the expectations of many homebuyers; interest rates look to be too high for potential homebuyers; the defect rate on mortgages declined again; tech vendor raises $19 million; Altisource Asset Management exits mortgage market.

Lenders look to remote online notarization; Ocrolus offers rep-and-warrant coverage for income calculations; ICE offers tool to facilitate reconsiderations of appraisals; Planet Home launches products to help borrowers compete with cash offers; property insurance costs rise nearly 20%; Flagstar plans tech accelerator program; disconnect on homebuyers’ plans and saving for a downpayment.

In recent months, when interest rates have declined even slightly, loan applications have jumped, indicating that potential borrowers are keeping a close eye on interest rates. There could also be some relief on affordability as the inventory of homes for sale increased in February.