National Mortgage Professional

1 week ago | nationalmortgageprofessional.com | Lew Sichelman

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Boston office has seen “a steady increase” in title theft — so much so that it has issued a warning to property owners and real estate professionals to beware. The scams the G-men have labeled as “quit claim deed fraud” have resulted in “devastating consequences” for owners who had no idea their properties were being sold “right out from under them.”The schemes involve fraudsters who forge documents to record a phony transfer of property ownership.

2 weeks ago | nationalmortgageprofessional.com | Lew Sichelman

Is the Golden State no longer gold? Has the Sunshine State lost its sparkle? Is the Lone Star State still a popular landing spot for would-be cowboys and girls? According to a new LendingTree study, California, perhaps the most expensive state in the country when it comes to buying a house, was the least popular state for out-of-state shoppers compared to residents looking to buy elsewhere. But hurricane-ravaged Florida was the most popular.

3 weeks ago | nationalmortgageprofessional.com | Lew Sichelman

Swindlers are now cloning entire websites to grab private information and money, and lenders, lawyers, and title companies are in their cross-hairs. It’s called “domain spoofing,” according to CertifID, a fraud prevention company, and it can take just a few minutes to put into place. The thieves simply replicate a website, but substitute their contact information for yours.

3 weeks ago | nationalmortgageprofessional.com | Lew Sichelman

With homeowners insurance premiums on the upswing – and more increases likely on the way – many home owners worry they will no longer be able to afford coverage, two studies report. One, from ValuePenguin, says two out of every three policyholders saw their rates rise last year, and three out four expect rate hikes again this year. The other, from Maxwell, found that a “staggering” 90% of the owners polled experienced rate hikes over the previous two years, some by 30% or more.

4 weeks ago | nationalmortgageprofessional.com | Lew Sichelman

Delinquencies are building across two major food groups — student loans and automobile financing — the feed credit scores and are sure to impact the ability of would-be home buyers to obtain a mortgage. The Education Department hasn’t updated its official student loan repayment statistics since September.