Mortgages

Special purpose credit programs, down payment assistance and potential mortgage insurance premium cuts came into focus over the past year.

The tool, which includes overlays for industry metrics like delinquencies, could be helpful to policymakers trying to size up the cost of natural disasters affecting properties.

The change, effective Dec. 21, is being put into place two years after it was first proposed.

The new product will be based on a recent revision to the Department of Veterans Affairs' handbook for lenders, according to the company.

Plans rolled out by a United Wholesale Mortgage and by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cut costs, but the American Land Title Association warns that the tradeoff is less protection from certain risks.

Wind and storm surge damage to residential and commercial properties could reach $47 billion, according to a CoreLogic analysis.

A piece of legislation cleared the House this week that would allow for so-called "desktop appraisals" on properties financed by government-backed veteran loans.

Consumer use rates may be low in part because they prefer to stick to one method of submitting information needed to apply for a mortgage.

D2C policy acquisition and servicing aren’t as hard as they might look.

The use of rent data in credit models is allowing people with low credit scores or thin credit files to get loans. But consumer advocates warn the use of that data could harm the very people it’s supposed to help. 

Also: Polly integrates with six mortgage providers; Roostify teams up with Covered.

The Personal Lines Insurance Shopping Report suggests consumers are overcoming fears of surveillance to reduce premiums.

The partnership allows for the new integration of a more efficient digital mortgage process.

Current actuarial techniques are good at quantifying in the aggregate – but less so in the detail.

Freddie Mac researchers led by Ajita Atreya found that homes directly exposed to projected sea-level rise command no discount over those that aren’t.

Keeping track of frequent changes to homes has become a complex issue for many insurers. With limited resources and rising customer expectations, many insurers are moving beyond traditional forms of customer outreach – emails, phone calls, and on-site inspections— to obtain the latest underwriting data about the properties in their portfolio.

Despite an influx of potential rental insurance customers, carriers must innovate to cut through the noise and connect with their best prospects on a personal level to ultimately turn them into a client. With so much competition, simply reaching out at the right time may not be enough. Insurers need to understand these consumers on a deeper level.

In 2020, natural disasters, excluding COVID-19, caused a total of $76 billion in insured losses, as opposed to the $7 billion in man-made insured losses. Companies must prepare to meet the demands of an increased customer base, including facilitating an easy claims process and expanding digital access.

Mobile Appraiser Pro uses photo capture technology and AI-powered mobile estimation and valuation tools to provide nearly real-time insight to field appraisers.