How does a mortgage company meet the statutory requirement for Anti-Money Laundering education? The question comes up because many companies do not comply with the annual education requirement for all employees. In our opinion the law and regulations on AML training is purposely not specific because the term education is defined by the outcome and not the input. More simply put if you understand the requirements of the law you are educated. To be sure …
The overlap between federal and state laws and regulations becomes very apparent once there is an examination and/or an enforcement action. With COVID dominating our work environment over the past two years, not many audits or exams were scheduled by state regulators. That is all about to change. They are way behind and will begin the process of catching up sooner than you may be ready for. In many cases where mortgage companies get caught …
Mortgage Processing Fundamentals is an on-demand, video recorded program which presents the base of knowledge needed to succeed at residential mortgage processing. The course is written and presented by a 25-year seasoned loan originator who has processed her own loans. The fundamentals are universal and can be applied to any processing position. While processors perform some or all the included functions, the course provides an overview of all the necessary responsibilities and tasks to move …
With the new URLA behind us…along comes the next major change in residential lending. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (aka the GSEs) have provided an update on the new URAR. Yes, the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report is undergoing some major changes. Here are just a few highlights: Input was gathered from 107 stakeholders across the industry in designing the new form. The key benefits of the new form are: Dynamic output with commentary placed within each …
With rates going up, refinance volume quickly heading south and originators looking for the next shiny thing, we are bound to see movement in the industry. That means mergers, buyouts and some companies closing. Migrating originators can be a tricky challenge for the next employer. There are two issues that may surface; who owns the customer and how were the originators compensated? I’ll save the former for another time. Last week I received a call …
With the pandemic pointing toward endemic, it’s a relief that the GSEs are starting to look at removing some of the COVID-related guidelines. Self-employed borrowers may find it a bit easier to qualify for a mortgage now…,just in time as rates head up. Fannie Mae just released an update effective today, February 2, 2022. There is a summary at the end of the announcement. Remember, the devil is always in the details.
As someone who has followed this topic for many years, with many debates, I’ve heard it all. Just today, posts on Facebook brought it up…again! What’s different now is a few weeks ago, I decided to get reliable information from a reliable source. To help clear up the confusion, I am sharing below some of what I have known and some of what I have learned. COVID has created many messes. One of which is …
Ahhh…another industry change while volume is at an all time high! Just what we need in 2021! We started talking about the new URLA in 2018; and then it changed…and then it changed again. Finally! After several years of the GSE’s designing formats, revising (adding and deleting) data points, and changing implementation dates…March 1, 2021 is upon us. So is…the URLA, the URLA-Additional Borrower and the Lender Loan Information. Bye-bye Co-Borrower! By now you probably know that …
Don’t Try to Outsmart the Markets Getting ready to refinance your mortgage but waiting for rates to fall just one more time? Is that extra 1/8th percent ready to drop? Some consumers begin to follow economic news and perform no shortage of due diligence trying to pick the perfect time to lock in an interest rate. Loan officers are asked on a daily basis, “What are rates going to do?” The fact is nobody knows …
Don’t Try to Outsmart the Markets Getting ready to refinance your mortgage but waiting for rates to fall just one more time? Is that extra 1/8th percent ready to drop? Some consumers begin to follow economic news and perform no shortage of due diligence trying to pick the perfect time to lock in an interest rate. Loan officers are asked on a daily basis, “What are rates going to do?” The fact is nobody knows …