Mortgages

Small towns across the country struggle with vacant housing as much as cities, even though some of those places have plenty of jobs. Geography and a declining population are forcing many rural communities to make hard choices.

A former Ocwen Financial executive is settling Securities and Exchange Commission charges that he engaged in insider trading related to his company's dealings with Altisource Portfolio Solutions following a CFPB enforcement action and its upcoming merger with PHH Corp.

The Federal Housing Administration is mandating that lenders originating new reverse mortgages offer a second property appraisal in certain cases.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issued new capital requirements for private mortgage insurers that will create big swings in carriers' asset reserves.

Analysts say the proposal will hurt more than help, and while it isn't expected to gain traction soon, that could change if Democrats retake the Senate.

After blue collar jobs move out, crime often rushes in to take its place. That makes efforts to turn around housing that much harder.

The House of Representatives passed two bills that would tie appraisal waivers for Small Business Administration loans to bank rules for commercial real estate loans, despite objections from the Appraisal Institute about its members being cut out of transactions.

Tracy Ashfield, a veteran of the mortgage industry, will take over at American Credit Union Mortgage Association when Bob Dorsa retires in January 2020.

When it comes to attracting millennials, mortgages could be the key to capturing this demographic for the long haul – provided CUs are willing to put in the work.