When it comes to utilizing technology in your business, is it better to build your own solution or to buy one that is already developed and ready to use? Well, that depends what you’re looking for, according to experts at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s 2019 Technology Solutions Conference.

Last year, nearly 250 senior executives at some of the nation’s largest mortgage companies asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to change the Loan Originator Compensation rule, which governs now much loan originators are paid. The lenders asked the CFPB to allow LOs to voluntarily reduce their compensation to allow them to compete in the market. Now, that group has a rather vocal opponent stating that those proposed changes are a “completely unacceptable” idea.

Last week, Facebook changed its ad policies to comply with anti-discrimination laws, and the move has broad implications for all of us in consumer finance and housing. But that's just one of three important strategy shifts the social media giant has made lately, and all are likely to impact those in the housing world. Here's what you need to know, and how you can adjust your processes to benefit.

Two weeks ago, the FHA took steps to limit risk to its single-family portfolio, announcing that it will flag some loans for manual underwriting. FHA's Chief Risk Officer Keith Becker told the WSJ just how many loans the agency thinks will be affected, adding that the FHA "felt that it was appropriate to take some steps to mitigate the risks we're seeing."

Last year was the year of the blockchain proof of concept. This year, we’re kicking it up a notch with real steps toward blockchain implementations. For many, blockchain is still a grand idea. For the forward thinking, it is already a reality in production level systems. Implementing blockchain is not risky or unconventional - it’s pragmatic.

We recruited 10 marketing leaders from some of the top lenders in the industry to serve on the advisory board for our engage.marketing summit and now we’re interviewing each one to find out more about their perspective on the industry and what they see coming in the future. First up is Jim Stearns, CMO at Stearns Lending, who tells us the biggest challenge facing mortgage marketers.

I got into the mortgage business in 2008, possibly the worst year for the financial markets. I was armed with three people in my sphere of influence and $1,900 in capital. Fast-forward a couple of years, and my company posted an astronomic three-year growth of 987%. While most successes can't be attributed to just one factor, in my case, personal branding played a huge role. Here's how I did it, and some tips on how you can do it, too.

More than a dozen of the world’s largest financial institutions conspired to fix the prices on more than $485 billion in bonds issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over a five-year period, according to a new blockbuster lawsuit.