DSNews delivers stories, ideas, links, companies, people, events, and videos impacting the mortgage default servicing industry.
Issue link: http://digital.dsnews.com/i/1513081
MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 58 December 2023 J O U R N A L FHLBank San Francisco, agrees: "AI has the potential to revolutionize processes in the mortgage finance industry, not only introducing greater efficiency and customization but also promoting greater equity in homeownership. However, it will only deliver the desired results if, and only if, data and algorithms are free of bias. If not, Black and Latino individ- uals and families will continue to be at a disadvantage when it comes to building equity and stability and, ultimately, intergenerational wealth. That outcome is simply unacceptable." The authors of the paper gathered their information from nearly 50 individ- uals in the Federal Government, finan- cial technology firms, mortgage lending companies, consumer advocacy groups, and research organizations. In the report, the authors describe AI's penetration across mortgage application process and around the mortgage industry ecosystem. The adoption of AI was found to vary within the mortgage finance industry, with larger mortgage lenders, fintech firms, and government-sponsored enterprises already implementing AI in functions such as underwriting, property valuations, fraud detection, and market- ing. In contrast, adoption is lower among smaller and mission-oriented lenders, such as minority depository institutions (MDIs) and community development financial institutions (CDFIs). The authors conclude, that based on their findings in the mortgage finance ecosystem, they provide three distinct recommendations: First, increased regulatory guidance is recommended to establish clear guidelines on applications and protect the rights of consumers. Second, intentional design must be the backbone of any AI model to ensure al- gorithms are free of bias and centered on equity. Finally, pilot programs should be implemented to test models and ensure that industry and consumer outcomes are consistent with intentions and sup- port equity in homeownership. "Harnessing AI for Equity in Mort- gage Finance" is the last in a series of four reports developed through a two- year, $1.5 million collaboration between the Urban Institute and FHLBank San Francisco. Previous reports examined incorporating alternative data into mort- gage underwriting, mitigating the impact of student loan debt on Black homeown- ership, and using mortgage reserve ac- counts to help sustain homeownership. COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY LOAN ORIGINATIONS PLUMMET A ccording to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) commercial and multifamily loan originations were 49% lower in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the third quarter of 2022—a number which is also down 7% from the second quarter of 2023—according to the MBA's Quar- terly Survey of Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Bankers Originations. "Borrowing backed by commercial real estate properties declined again in the third quarter," said Jamie Woodwell, MBA's Head of Commercial Real Estate Research. "Borrowing and lending were down for every property type and capital source from one year ago. However, compared to this year's second quarter, volumes were more stable, and some sectors—including industrial properties and life company lenders—showed an uptick in volume." "Year-to-date, CRE mortgage borrow- ing has fallen 44%, driven by questions about some properties' fundamentals, un- certainty about property values, and high- er and volatile interest rates," Woodwell added. "Greater certainty around those conditions is a key prerequisite to breaking the logjam of transaction activity." This drop of 49% also means a de- crease in dollar volume when compared year over year; in those terms, there was a 76% year-over-year decrease in the dollar volume of loans for healthcare proper- ties, 52% decrease for hotel properties, 51% decrease for retail properties, 50% decrease for multifamily properties, 49% decrease for office space, and finally a 35% decrease for industrial properties. Among the different types of inves- tors, the dollar volume of loans origi- nated for depositories decreased by 73% year over year, investor-driven activity dropped by 55%, and Government-Spon- sored Enterprises (The GSEs or Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) loans dropped by 27%, a 5% decrease for commercial mortgage-backed securities, and a 4% decrease in the dollar volume of life insurance company loans. According to the MBA, on a quarterly basis, third-quarter originations for health- care properties decreased by 28% com- pared to the second quarter of this year. There was a 20% decrease in originations for retail properties and a 16% decrease for multifamily properties. Originations for hotel properties increased by 2%, origina- tions for office properties increased by 4%, and originations for industrial properties increased by 36%. Finally, the MBA reported that