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Volo secures funding to expand expat mortgage lending

A mortgage lender helping Americans buy homes abroad received a capital boost this week thanks to a new warehouse agreement with an investment management firm.  Volo Loans, which specializes in serving U.S. citizens looking to finance properties in Costa Rica, landed its $50 million investment from Gramercy Funds Management, a global firm specializing in emerging […]

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Home equity lending has strong two-year runway ahead

The next 12-to-24 months will be a good time for the home equity lending market because of the conditions affecting the first lien business, experts say. With elevated mortgage rates, the amount of equity homeowners hold right now and the relative shortage of inventory “it’s a really lucrative environment for home equity, and has been

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Home equity lending is flourishing as HELOC rates fall

Home equity lending hasn’t been this hot in almost two decades.  Second-lien equity withdrawals approached 2008 levels in the recent first quarter, according to Intercontinental Exchange. Homeowners grabbed nearly $25 billion in home equity lines of credit, while overall first quarter equity withdrawals, including cash-out refinances, totaled $45 billion.  Introductory rates on second-lien HELOCs fell

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New proprietary reverse mortgages hit the market this spring

With tappable home equity near historic highs and a preference among a majority of baby boomers to remain in their homes, several reverse mortgage lenders have recently launched products to capture the greater opportunity in this part of the market.   Demographic trends suggest a market primed for growth and current interest rate levels also make

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Tariff fears drive April auto, mortgage borrowing

The anticipated impact of tariffs pushed consumers toward big-ticket items in April, but overall borrowing levels also show them becoming more discerning in light of political developments, according to Vantagescore. Researchers noted earlier this year the likelihood of a bump in certain types of purchases before the implementation of various tariff measures proposed by President

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Non QM reaps benefits from policy, market discipline: execs

Non QM reaps benefits from policy, market discipline: execs

Frin left to right: Moderator Devin Norales, and panelists Max Slyusarchuk, Jeremy Schneider, Peter Simon and Rudy Orman address the audience at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Secondary and Capital Markets Conference in New York on May 19, 2025. Politics, marketing and organic growth within the borrowing public are providing momentum to non-qualified mortgage businesses, leading

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Lenders feel better, not exuberant, about housing market

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s latest forecast for 2025­ expects volume to be slightly lower than previously thought, with a 14% increase in the number of units produced.  Mike Fratantoni, the group’s chief economist speaking at its Secondary & Capital Markets Conference in New York on Monday, recounted discussions he had in recent days with people

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Mortgage brokers say FHA changes, inventory are key hurdles

Mortgage brokers are tired of the dialogue around elevated interest rates. “It is what it is,” some say, emphasizing that other factors – such as changes in policy at the Federal Housing Administration — are having a more notable impact on their business and the consumers they serve. At UWM’s Live! event last week, more

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Mortgage profits near break-even, but costs still climb

The mortgage industry’s comeback after years of economic challenges sputtered, as diminished loan volume and increased production costs made lending unprofitable at nonbanks in the first quarter. Still, the industry managed to narrow losses compared to three months earlier but production ended up in the red again for a second straight quarter, according to the

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Chase Home Lending CEO on AI, growth, and market volatility

Chase Home Lending CEO on AI, growth, and market volatility

Sean Grzebin stepped into the role of CEO of Chase Home Lending in November, armed with the advantage of having worked across functions at the bank since 2011. With a career that has taken him from PHH Mortgage in 1997, to Countrywide, to Goldman Sachs and then Chase, Grzebin has seen his share of market

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