Servicers said they believe the industry can do a better job of educating homeowners of natural disaster risks to their homes.

Some 17.2% of homeowners with mortgages had an interest rate greater than or equal to 6% at the end of the third quarter of 2024, compared to 12.3% in the third quarter of 2023.

Servicing executives said enhanced data have helped homeowners avoid foreclosure and kept overall losses down for investors.

PennyMac Financial Services upsizes debt offering by $200 million; Freedom Mortgage is set to issue $500 million of senior unsecured notes; Beeline Labs raises capital for MagicBlocks; Rocktop Technologies and One Diligence launch an AI-enabled natural disaster risk evaluation solution; Usherpa launches a new workflow management tool.

Northpointe Bank could raise upwards of $200 million via an initial public offering. The bank said the IPO could help to double its warehouse lending business and increase production of a unique non-agency mortgage.

As natural disasters are becoming increasingly devasting, homeowners insurance is struggling to keep up.

To increase already substantial market shares, nonbank mortgage companies are investing in proprietary technology for originations and servicing.

The company wants to help real estate agents become mortgage brokers and close loans with less overhead costs.

Loan originators want to see guidelines expanded for borrowers with variable sources of income.

Experienced appraisers combine flood disclosure information and local knowledge to provide appraisal values that reflect the underlying risk to the property. And less-experienced appraisers were found to assign higher property values to homes in flood areas.