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

Homeowner checkbooks squeezed as property taxes grow

1 week ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Property taxes for all homeowners in the U.S. rose between 2021 and 2023, but varied widely in different regions of the country.
Home prices up in 83% of metro areas: NAR

1 week ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Loan officers: when speaking to potential borrowers who are waiting for home prices to drop, tell them data from the first quarter of 2025 shows that, in most regions nationwide, they shouldn't wait. Prices for single-family homes rose in 83% of measured metro areas, an analysis by the National Association of Realtors found.
NEXA sues ex-director over trade secrets, domain dispute

1 week ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

NEXA Mortgage is accusing a former director, who developed loan officer training materials for the brokerage, of stealing proprietary information related to its educational materials and attempting to poach its employees. The mortgage brokerage also accuses Kristine Wake, its former director of training, of holding the domain name for its loan officer training website, WhyNexaAcademy.com, hostage. Wake has allegedly demanded an $18,000 payment in exchange for releasing the domain to NEXA.
Guild Mortgage slides into red, but sees origination growth

1 week ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Guild Mortgage saw its financials slide into the red, as both its origination and servicing segments took a hit in the first quarter, the firm announced Wednesday.The San Diego-based lender reported a net loss of $23.9 million for the January-March period, down from net income of $97.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. Its servicing segment was the main driver of the results, with the firm posting a net loss of $4.6 million, compared to net income of $152.4 million the previous quarter.
Loandepot's Q1 results show rebound as Anthony Hsieh returns

1 week ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Loandepot saw a slight improvement in its earnings for the first quarter of 2025, but remained in the red after taking a $20 million loss from 2024 MSR bulk sales, it reported Tuesday. The Irvine, California-based firm had a net loss of $40.7 million in the first quarter, a rebound from a net loss of $67.5 million in the previous period.
M&A consultants share secret sauce to merging mortgage firms

1 week ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

When a mortgage originations shop acquires a competitor, a single misstep, like choosing not to retain a well-liked IT manager from the onboarding firm, can turn a smooth integration into a total flop. Seemingly smaller misalignments, like mismatched compensation structures, approaches to marketing spend and executive personality clashes can add up to make a costly strategic endeavor going sour not long after the paperwork has been signed.
UWM seeks dismissal of Atlantic Trust's "All-In" countersuit

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

United Wholesale Mortgage is asking a Michigan federal court to toss out a countersuit filed by brokerage Atlantic Trust Mortgage Corp. The move comes shortly after the court declined the Florida-based brokerage's ask to dismiss UWM's original litigation, which accuses Atlantic Trust of breaching its All-In mandate. The wholesale lender called Atlantic Trust's fraud allegations "vague and unviable" in a court filing submitted April 30.
UWM to bring servicing in-house via "neutral" ICE Mortgage

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

United Wholesale Mortgage is bringing its servicing in-house via a partnership with ICE Mortgage Technology. The Pontiac-based wholesale lender signed a long-term agreement to license the technology provider's MSP loan servicing system to bring operations within the company, it said Wednesday via a press release. The development follows UWM's decision to end its servicing relationship with Mr. Cooper after Rocket Companies revealed plans to acquire the firm for $9.4 billion.
Amerant Mortgage shrinks footprint via layoffs

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Amerant Mortgage, a subsidiary of Florida-based Amerant Bank, trimmed its workforce in mid-April. Over four dozen employees, 58 workers, were let go, according to a WARN notice filed by the company on April 24. The move was made following the firm's decision to limit its national footprint and focus on the Florida market.
Pennymac CEO champions broker choice, eyes growth

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgagenews.com | Maria Volkova

Pennymac's CEO David Spector doesn't agree with limiting mortgage broker choice. The company's executive believes brokers should be free to work with any wholesale lender they choose. "It's really unfortunate that we're in a situation where brokers are having to choose who they're going to be aligned with at the expense of somebody else," Spector said.