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.

Agency securitizations of correspondent loans were sharply down in the first quarter of 2024 as volume dropped across the board. Refinances made a surprising surge, while credit quality remained unchanged. (Includes two data tables.)

Philadelphia-based Republic Bank focused its mortgage production on jumbos with below-market rates. The bank also held agency MBS that lost value as interest rates increased.

As home affordability remains elusive, the housing industry is raising the profile of assumable loans.

A recent Fannie Mae study found that lenders are concerned about the lack of competition and rising prices of technology service providers’ solutions in the mortgage industry.

Speakers at a recent Women in Housing and Finance conference detailed how their companies have incorporated AI and the positive results from the tool.

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.

Figure Technology Solutions is offering its Digital Asset Registration Technologies registry to partners of Figure Lending to use for home equity lines of credit.

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.

Mortgage financing was used on 80% of purchases of primary residences last year, a survey by the National Association of Realtors showed.