Underwriting

The Trump administration's Justice Department was expected to be less aggressive in its pursuit of False Claims Act cases against the mortgage industry. Instead, its focus has shifted to Federal Housing Administration-insured reverse mortgages.

Borrowers can benefit from more inclusive data and tightening of certain credit file standards, but so far lenders continue to rely on older models.

Traditional partnerships with lenders have been eroded by compliance strains and new incentives to control more of the homebuying transaction.

The Federal Housing Administration's gateway to homeownership could be widened if the Trump administration takes actions to reduce mortgage insurance premiums and clarify lender penalties under the False Claims Act.

Bank of the West is using alternative data and the international expertise of its parent company to tap into the lucrative but difficult to underwrite market of middle- and upper-class immigrant mortgage borrowers.

Down payment standards should be relaxed to just 10% to spur homebuying among millennials, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said this week.