Underwriting

Consumers are so concerned about rising costs that they often forego coverage altogether, according to two separate studies from Valuepenguin and Realtor.com.

The U.S. Mortgage Insurers put out a blog promising its members would be ready to accept submissions for coverage which were scored using VantageScore.

April was a mixed bag for title companies, executives said on earnings calls, but some are expecting a stronger market the rest of the year.

The increase in refinance originations in the fourth quarter trickled down to the title insurers, which reported year-over-year gains in new orders.

As homeowners insurance becomes expensive and hard to find, mortgage loan officers should work closely with insurance agents, said Travis Hodges of Viu by Hub.

The private mortgage insurers reported just 5% less business versus the third quarter and 33% more new insurance written over the fourth quarter 2023.

Continued reductions by the Federal Reserve in short-term interest rates should benefit mortgage volume, and thus title insurance activity, Fitch Ratings said.

In the aftermath of the election, a bipartisan group of House members are the latest to ask the FHFA to put the owner's title insurance waiver pilot on hold.

Three of the four largest title insurers were profitable in the third quarter; First American's loss should set it up for future gains, its execs said.

But the purchase business that brings in three times the fee size as refinancings will be the driver of the improvement for the publicly traded title underwriters.