Lenders cut more staff; rate locks up 14% in January; borrowers have plenty of equity; bill to limit trigger leads in House; LoanCare revamps servicing website; Staircase launches ChatMTG.

Below contract appraisals in majority Black census tracts are much less likely to receive time adjustments than those in majority white tracts, according to new research from FHFA.

Lenders need specific plans for outreach to borrowers that are Black, indigenous and people of color, according to industry participants. Focusing on the borrowers can be difficult but will pay off, the industry participants added.

A mortgage application in which both members are male is 8.9% less likely to be approved than if the co-applicants were of different sexes, according to new research.

Clever Real Estate has acquired Gravy Technologies, which provides a loyalty-as-a-service platform for lenders and real estate agents.

While originations are expected to increase this year, margins might not improve much; First American back online following cyberattack; MSR demand expected to remain strong; held-to-maturity accounting lives on; new digital servicing platform; new buydown program.

In general, appraisers can adjust down a comparable valuation dollar for dollar with the value of seller concessions.

The GSEs and FHA should publish daily rate sheets with disclosures on interest rates for mortgages locked the previous day, according to analysts at the Urban Institute. The analysts likened their proposal to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price seen for cars and books.

Consumers are feeling little optimism for the 2024 housing market as affordability concerns continue to push would-be buyers away from purchasing a home next year.

Lower interest rates have been particularly impactful in the market for new homes; MBA projects a mild recession in the first half of 2024; new MISMO working group initiated by the GSEs; technology for closing disclosure forms.