Fairway Independent Mortgage, Madison, WI, has been quietly giving control of the company away to a group of investors who are key to its growth: its own employees. The nation’s 22nd largest lender – as ranked by Inside Mortgage Finance – has been issuing stock to some of its senior executives since late last year, but recently rolled out an employee stock ownership plan to anyone, provided they work there for at least a year. For employees, the best part is...

Homebuyer counseling classes should expand and evolve, according to some in the industry who said such programs are critical to promoting successful homeownership. And there have been a few changes this year that speak to the growing importance of borrower education. Studies show that borrowers participating in homebuyer counseling classes are more likely to sustain homeownership than those who haven’t been counseled. But a newly published paper from the Urban Institute said...

The share of refi loans with scores of 740 or higher edged up from 57.8 percent in the first quarter to 61.6 percent in the second.

The fear is that loan pricing will be worse and loan-to-value ratios will be more restrictive.

The VA share of new loan applications improved to 13.0 percent from 12.1 percent the week prior.

UWM is beginning to see some of its competitors pick up their game...

Senior-level mortgage executives are in demand these days, according to one recruiter...

Redwood is working to increase investments in first-loss risk on loan pools delivered to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

On the production front, Walter’s Ditech unit reported $4.8 billion of new originations, a 3.4 percent drop compared to 1Q16.

The 22 regional banks fared a lot better, reporting a combined $903.5 million of mortgage-banking income…