This lender said finding good appraisers can sometimes be a challenge and predicted that eventually appraisals on such mortgages could cost upwards of $1,000…

Search engine giant Google recently launched a new mortgage comparison tool that allows borrowers and lenders to search for the lowest rates, a development that will be carefully watched for the simple reason that, well, it’s Google. The mortgage tool is a part of Google Compare, a service that allows consumers to compare options for various products, such as credit cards and auto insurance. Though the effort is branded with Google’s name, the company has teamed up with Zillow and LendingTree to introduce this service. Compare allows...

Moody's said the results suggest that some lenders are having difficulty complying with the new TRID rules, a credit negative...

Black Knight Financial also said that despite the reintroduction of Fannie’s and Freddie’s 97 LTV product, the FHA/VA continues to dominate low downpayment lending.

An estimated $117.1 billion of mortgages exceeding the baseline conforming loan limit of $417,000 were originated during the third quarter.

HUD actually offers an appeal process where lenders can ask for a loan limit increase for their county...

“Turn times are slower and processing times are longer,” said David Frase of Southwest Bank.

Slip, sliding away: commercial banks and loans-serviced-for others...

The jumbo mortgage business has been a growth market for the past few years but the sector lost a little ground in the third quarter, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. An estimated $117.1 billion of mortgages exceeding the baseline conforming loan limit of $417,000 were originated during the third quarter. That included $85.0 billion of loans that were too big to be securitized by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae, plus another $32.1 billion of agency-eligible jumbo mortgages in high-cost markets. Total jumbo volume was...[Includes three data tables]

Two investment banking firms – Interactive Mortgage Advisors and MountainView Servicing Group – have at least $17 billion (combined) in mortgage servicing rights auctions in the works, a sign that the sector is heating up as the year draws to a close. Several other advisory firms have announced deals in the past few weeks, including The Prestwick Group and Mortgage Industry Advisory Corp. Also, sources contend that investment banker Houlihan Lokey is busy as well, though company officials there declined to comment for this story. Mark Garland, president of MountainView, said...