Lending

LAS VEGAS -

ATLANTA - As foreclosures rise, the Georgia Dream First-Time Homebuyer Program is providing low-income, first-time homebuyers with a safe lending alternative while also generating new revenue for CDC FCU.

STOCKTON, Calif. - What went up (California housing prices) most assuredly has come back down, and this San Joaquin Valley city has been feeling the effects in the form of numerous foreclosed homes.

BROCKTON, Mass. — HarborOne Credit Union learned over the years that reaching out to newly arrived immigrants and marketing products to them is a long, slow process that involves building relationships of trust.

PEORIA, Ill. - The $3.4-billion CEFCU reports it is seeing a surge in refi activity.

HOUSTON - Smart Financial Credit Union is now looking to create an in-house real estate lending operation. Previously, the credit union had had a partnership with Countrywide and referred members to the mortgage giant.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia FCU is seeing an overall increase in mortgage lending activity, but not as much on the refi side as being reported in other regions.

RALEIGH, N.C. - The crisis in the housing market is far from over, but in many areas of the U.S. a quiet mortgage boom is taking place.

SEATTLE - Like other areas, Seattle has started to see a significant refi boom.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo - Ent FCU enjoyed a 165% increase in refinance volume in January over the previous month.

BATON ROURGE, La. - With the subprime mortgage mess still playing out, some observers think it’s only a matter of time before it boils over into the independent dealer lending market segment. If true, credit unions need to be leery of any subprime loans that they are carrying on their books.

AUSTIN, Texas - With the specter of a soft lending market looming over loan originators in 2008, some credit unions are turning to lending software solutions to boost loan volume without adding additional staff. Teres Solutions Inc. has been marketing its direct and indirect lending software to financial institutions since 2002, including its SAIL (Software Application for Integrated Lending) software, the solution that has been steadily attracting the attention of credit unions across the country.

BATON ROUGE, La. - The decline in new car sales has some credit unions turning to independent auto dealers to drive up auto loan volume, but some are cautioning over the risk associated with some dealer’s sporadic regulatory compliance.

MADISON, Wis. - Credit unions may be desperate to bolster sagging loan volume, but one expert warned against taking a “desperate times call for desperate measures” approach to lending.