In January, the origination forecast for 2019 looked bleak but that was before rates began their relentless descent. Today? Optimism abounds with several shops reporting strong lending results for 3Q19.

In its thirst to expand the company’s presence in wholesale lending, Quicken Loans Mortgage Services this week unveiled big hiring plans for Detroit and Charlotte.

The fintech company rolled out a new product to help simplify the pre-approval process for its lender clients.

Relatively low interest rates on mortgages are prompting strong demand from borrowers and higher profit margins for many lenders.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency reminded banks of a relatively new regulation that requires larger appraisal management companies to register with states before being able to provide services.

Mortgage lenders posted a net gain of $1,675 per origination in the second quarter, the best quarter the industry has seen since the third quarter of 2016, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in a recent report.

Weighing in on how to fix the qualified mortgage rule, smaller lenders have suggested a higher debt-to-income ratio cap.

Originations are booming but the government’s latest reading on mortgage employment wasn’t exactly encouraging. Still, interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Trends reveal that many shops are looking to hire.

TD Bank was the top volume gainer among residential lenders in the second quarter but barely made the top 50 volume ranking in the first half of the year. Moral of story: the bigger you are, the harder it is to post huge percentage gains.

Expiration of the GSE “patch” will shift more risk to private securities and away from Fannie and Freddie. But, according to CoreLogic, dismantling the loophole will impact millennial borrowers and retirees.