As severe weather events batter major housing markets, borrowers are finding it difficult and expensive to obtain homeowners insurance, according to panelists at a Mortgage Bankers Association conference.

It’s not exactly the best time for a mortgage company to go public, especially with conventional rates north of 7%. But Better.com pulled it off. Then again, its share price is a nightmare and institutional investors are leery.

State tax exemptions on municipal bonds encourage banks to load up on the asset. But to offset their exposure to the local real estate market, banks loosen credit to increase their out-of-state mortgage originations.

James Brody, a senior litigation partner at Garris Horn, provided strategies lenders could use to avoid repurchase demands, which included negotiating contract terms, diversifying their investor deck and outsourcing underwriting.

The mortgage industry has been slow to adopt eClosing despite the fact that it could help reduce origination costs and streamline business processes.

Blend is taking steps to turn a profit after years of losses. The moves include increasing revenue per mortgage transaction and decreasing expenses through layoffs.

Mr. Cooper’s servicing portfolio is expanding while the number of employees in the nonbank’s call center is declining. Investment in technology is helping to reduce costs and fuel servicing growth.

Volumes are down and lenders are racing to cut costs, but some of their approaches may not be the best for long-term success, a Stratmor analyst said. He suggested lenders update their LO comp structures.

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.

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