Maria Volkova

Rockville

Technology Reporter at National Mortgage News

Technology reporter for @NatMortgageNews A little scrappy/ Scoops McGee Drop me a line: [email protected]

Articles

Why homeownership credit cards are gaining traction

1 week ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

How many times a day does a consumer pull out their credit card to pay for gas, groceries, or to buy themselves a sweet treat on their way home? Mortgage lenders hope that putting their company names on credit cards consumers use daily will keep their brands top of mind — and lead to repeat business. Rocket Companies and Mesa, a homeownership membership platform that allows lenders to co-brand a credit card, are among a handful of companies offering financial products with homeowner perks.
Ex-housing official Alanna McCargo back at Urban Institute

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Alanna McCargo announced Tuesday via LinkedIn that she has returned to the Urban Institute as a nonresident fellow.
HUD Secretary Turner: End to fair housing rule a state win

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner told a group of state regulators this week that his efforts to rip away federal bureaucratic red tape and shift more decision-making power to the local level will have benefits for them. Turner told attendees at a summit hosted by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors that one of his first actions in doing so was terminating the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule.
Rocket, Redfin push against suit that may delay $1.75B deal

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Rocket Companies and Redfin are pushing back against a lawsuit that could disrupt the closing of the mortgage giant's $1.75 billion acquisition of the real estate brokerage.
Here's what concerns mortgage brokers more than interest rates

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Mortgage brokers are tired of the dialogue around elevated interest rates. "It is what it is," some say, emphasizing that other factors – such as changes in policy at the Federal Housing Administration — are having a more notable impact on their business and the consumers they serve. At UWM's Live! event last week, more than a dozen mortgage brokers said their greatest concerns centered around a lack of housing inventory nationwide, rising property taxes and changing policies at the federal level.
UWM equips brokers with AI tools to retain clients, compete

3 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

United Wholesale Mortgage announced the rollout of two artificial intelligence-powered tools designed to give mortgage brokers an added edge in competing for and retaining borrower business. One of the tools is an AI-powered voice bot named Mia, which acts as a personal assistant for brokers. The other tool, called LEO, helps brokers present more competitive loan offers to borrowers than those offered by rival wholesale lenders.
Redfin investor unhappy with firm's Rocket merger disclosures

3 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

A Redfin stockholder is ringing the alarm regarding the imminent closing of Rocket Companies' $1.75 billion acquisition of the real estate brokerage, filing a suit that claims that certain information was not disclosed to investors.Plaintiff Jason Morano alleges that Redfin submitted "materially incomplete and misleading" filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission in order to persuade Redfin stockholders to approve the merger.The issue with the SEC filing, claims Morano, is that it...
Lower acquires Movoto, as it pushes to build end-to-end platform

3 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Mortgage lender Lower is acquiring Movoto, a home search website, from prior parent company OJO Labs, the companies announced Tuesday. The combination of the two firms will create "an end-to-end homeownership platform" connecting consumers, originators and real estate agents. The vision echoes a similar one pursued by Rocket Companies through its acquisition of Redfin, announced weeks ago.
Churchill Mortgage $850k retirement settlement nears approval

3 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Former Churchill Mortgage employees moved one step closer to getting a $850,000 settlement approved by a federal court in Tennessee over claims that their employee retirement accounts were mismanaged. The proposed settlement would dole out approximately $850 per class member and over $200,000 would be paid to attorneys representing plaintiffs.
Wells Fargo improperly denied COVID-19 forbearance: suit

3 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

A North Carolina resident claims Wells Fargo denied her government-mandated COVID-19 loss mitigation options, which resulted in the forced short-sale of her house. The plaintiff, Marian Elgin, lost her job in 2020 due to the pandemic and applied for CARES Act forbearance, but was denied by the bank, litigation filed in a federal court in California reads.