SEC approves Better-Aurora merger; FICO increasing mortgage revenue as originations decline; Rithm to spin off most of its origination/servicing business; impact of revised capital requirements for large banks.

ICE and Black Knight plan to sell Black Knight’s pricing platform in order to win approval from the FTC of a planned merger. Affiliates of Constellation Software have agreed to acquire Optimal Blue.

When using third-party models, banks should employ testing methods such as back-testing and benchmarking to meet compliance requirements, according to a RiskSpan analyst.

Originations, servicing and secondary market activity could all benefit from Blockchain, according to a new white paper from MISMO.

New research shows that mandatory flood risk disclosure requirements raise home prices, increase loan sizes and raise debt-to-income ratios.

Servicers have found new success leveraging self-service technologies for borrowers looking for disaster relief and forbearance options.

Proposal for higher capital requirements on mortgages at larger banks expected next week; House passes defense spending bill without RON provision; Umpqua Bank selling one-third of its MSRs; MISMO publishes fee- naming guide; PrimeLending offering fast loan approvals; lender offers AI chatbot to potential borrowers.

Comerica and Fifth Third are departing the warehouse arena. Should nonbanks be concerned that others might follow?

Artificial intelligence can cut down on “stare and compare” tasks. But mortgage originations are so complex, and anxiety-provoking for borrowers, that humans are essential.

Low-income borrowers could divert some of their downpayment funds to a reserve account that would pay loan costs during emergencies in a pilot program proposed by the Urban Institute.