News By Edition

Who is in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? The answer might not be as simple as it would seem.

Following the departure of former Director Richard Cordray and the dueling appointments of two acting directors, the answer to that question is not likely to be decided before weeks or months of court wrangling.

Read on to learn the latest details in the battle for temporary control of the bureau.

One of the nation’s largest and oldest regional title insurers has integrated its commitment jackets and closing protection letters with SoftPro’s business exchange platform.

The integration will enable the title insurer’s agents to electronically report insured risks directly through their SoftPro software.

Read on to learn the latest title insurer to select SoftPro’s platform.

Pioneer Title Agency has hired an escrow officer to work at one of its branches in Phoenix.

Read on for more details.

Despite the fact that homes are overvalued in many markets, Freddie Mac said there is much evidence that there is currently no housing price bubble.

Read on for more details from Freddie Mac’s November Insight.

Home prices during September hit new peaks in several states.

Read on for more details from Black Knight’s Home Price Index.

On Black Friday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was left in the dark about its leadership.

Director Richard Cordray announced early in the day that he would resign his position, effective at midnight, and named a deputy director to take over as Cordray’s replacement.

Hours later, President Donald Trump announced that he officially named Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney as the acting director, a move the president believes he can make under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. So who is in charge, and can the CFPB function while two acting directors appear to be in place?

CSC, a leading nationwide provider of electronic and paper real estate document recording services, has been awarded a 2017 Top Workplaces honor by the Salt Lake Tribune.

Finance giants American Express, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have formed a company to conduct third-party risk assessments.

The CEO of the new company told The Title Report the company will also benefit suppliers and partners by simplifying the oversight process, removing duplicate requests, and enabling faster onboarding for new customers.

Read on to learn who will lead the new company.

Mortgage Contracting Services, the parent company of Lenders Title Solutions, has acquired the property preservation division of Carrington Home Solutions.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and the transaction is expected to close before the end of 2017.

Read on to learn how this latest acquisition aligns with other services the company offers to banks, lenders, and mortgage servicers.

The technology driven real estate brokerage Redfin Corp. reported third-quarter earnings that included increases in revenue and profits. T

he company, whose holdings include the title and settlement company Title Forward, is forecasting at least a 34 percent increase in revenue for the fourth quarter.

Read on for more details about Redfin’s third-quarter earnings report.

AmTrust Title Insurance Co. has hired a former Stewart executive as a regional agency manager.

Read on for more details.

The percentage of refinance loans inched up slightly in October as interest rates dipped to a new 2017 low.

Read on for more details from Ellie Mae’s latest Origination Insight Report.

Nationwide, the number of seriously underwater properties declined during the third quarter.

Read on for more details from ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q3 2017 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report.

With its partnership with eOriginal now in place, Pavaso said it has completed the final steps of its online mortgage process and now can offer  “fully” digital post closings.

Pavaso’s CEO said this latest partnership will push the broader secondary market to incorporate the digital concept as a reality.

Read on for more details about the partnership between Pavaso and eOriginal.

During the third quarter, Realogy Holdings Corp.’s Title Resource Group had an increase in both purchase units and its average fee per closing unit.

However, a large decrease in refinance units completed during the quarter drove the group’s revenue down.

Read on to learn what other factors the company’s executives said impacted Realogy’s third-quarter performance.

America’s small-business owners are more optimistic about the national and global economies than they were one year ago, according to a survey by Bank of America.

However, a smaller share of small-business owners plans to hire additional employees during the next year.

Read on for more details about what concerns the nation’s small-business owners.

Weichert Title Group has hired a former Stewart state sales manager to lead its New Jersey sales team.

Read on for more details.

Notarize has expanded its digital platform with new services that help title agents and lenders connect and serve buyers and sellers online.

Read on for more details on the new offerings.

The percentage of loans 30 days or more past due and the foreclosure inventory rate both dropped during August.

Read on for more details from CoreLogic’s latest Loan Performance Insights Report.

The Closing Exchange has acquired two businesses it believes will help it transform the signing services business for the mortgage, title and settlement, reverse mortgage, auto lending, and timeshares industries.

The leaders of both the acquired companies were retained.

Read on to learn why The Closing Exchange believes the acquisitions will enhance its offerings.

Meridian Title Corp. has named a regional sales manager who will lead its northern Indiana and southwest Michigan sales teams.

Read on for more details.

As a result of its partnership with Pavaso, Signature Closers now can provide digital closings as well as traditional closings.

Read on for more details.

Qualia’s real estate closing platform is now available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Read on for more details.

The number of businesses owned by women in the U.S. doubled from 1997 to 2017, according to a report commissioned by American Express OPEN.

The number of businesses owned by women of color during that period increased  nearly 500 percent.

Read on to learn how many jobs these businesses are producing and in which industries.

The city of Detroit owns about 25 percent of all properties in the Motor City.

The Detroit Land Bank Authority has the monumental task of selling these abandoned, often vacant properties and returning them to the tax rolls.

Read to learn why a delegation from Detroit told The Title Report that title agents and underwriters play a vital role in the city’s revitalization.

Stewart Title has hired a former Fidelity executive who served that company for more than two decades in six different northern California counties.

The new division president will oversee Stewart’s daily operations San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties and be responsible for the company’s top-line growth.

Read on to learn who Stewart has added to its California team.

A Florida-based company that provides turn-key marketing solutions and websites for title agents and law firms across the country has launched a blogging service.

The new service is designed to help title agents and law firms become ‘authorities’ in their markets while also assisting their social media, email and public relations efforts.

Read on to learn more about the new blogging service.

ReverseVision has integrated Premier Reverse Closings’ title services into its loan origination system.

Read on for more details.