Mortgages | firsttuesday Journal

California tiered home pricing

by ft Editorial Staff | Jul 8, 2026 | Bay Area, Charts, first tuesday Local, Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-Ventura, Mortgages, Real Estate, San Diego | 57

Home prices continued to slide across California in November 2025.

Form-of-the-Week: Escrow instructions, and beneficiary statement — Forms 401 and 415

by Amy Platero | Jul 8, 2026 | Buyers and Sellers, Finance, Forms, Fundamentals, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

An agent or escrow officer uses RPI Form 401 when preparing instructions to open a purchase escrow with an escrow officer, and RPI Form 415 when escrow requests mortgage information from a mortgage holder regarding their lien on a property to confirm the terms of the debt or obtain a payoff demand.

Federal guidance pushes MLOs to weigh applicant immigration status

by Carrie B. Reyes | Jun 29, 2026 | Fair Housing, Finance, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

Federal guidance now encourages MLOs to discriminate based on immigration status. How does that impact MLO practice in California?

Sacramento County housing indicators

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 26, 2026 | Charts, Forecasts, Mortgages, Real Estate, Sacramento | 10

Get to know Sacramento County’s local housing fundamentals in these charts and forecasts.

Santa Clara County regional housing indicators

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 26, 2026 | Bay Area, Charts, Forecasts, Mortgages, Real Estate | 7

Santa Clara’s housing market is experiencing the downfall from 2021’s pandemic bounce.

San Francisco housing indicators

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 25, 2026 | Bay Area, Charts, Forecasts, Mortgages, Real Estate | 6

View these charts for current activity and forecasts for San Francisco’s housing market.

San Diego housing indicators

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 25, 2026 | Charts, Forecasts, Mortgages, Real Estate, San Diego | 29

View these charts for current activity and forecasts for San Diego’s housing market.

Riverside housing indicators

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 25, 2026 | Charts, Forecasts, Inland Empire, Mortgages, Real Estate | 17

View these Riverside regional charts for details on current activity and forecasts for its local housing market.

Orange County housing indicators

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 24, 2026 | Charts, Finance, Forecasts, Home Sales, Mortgages, Orange County, Real Estate | 17

View these Orange County regional charts for details on current activity and forecasts for its local housing market.

Los Angeles housing indicators

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 24, 2026 | Charts, first tuesday Local, Forecasts, Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-Ventura, Mortgages, Real Estate | 11

View these Los Angeles regional charts for details on current activity and forecasts for its housing market.

Negative equity and foreclosure

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 2, 2026 | Economics, Feature Articles, Mortgages, Real Estate, Recessions | 2

When does strategic default make sense for a negative equity homeowner?

Rent-to-buy alternatives

by Carrie B. Reyes | May 22, 2026 | Feature Articles, Mortgages, Property Management, Real Estate | 0

Learn the contrasts between rent-to-buy arrangements and protective homeownership transactions structured by seasoned brokers.

Mortgage complaint trends

by Carrie B. Reyes | May 8, 2026 | Finance, Mortgages, Real Estate, Your Practice | 2

Compliance doesn’t prevent all consumer complaints, but it goes a long way toward happier customers and borrowers — and better business for MLOs.

Form-of-the-Week: Credit report disclosure forms for originating an SFR mortgage — Forms 302, 217, 217-1, 217-2 and 219

by Amy Platero | May 5, 2026 | Finance, Forms, Fundamentals, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

A mortgage loan originator (MLO) processing an SFR mortgage application pulls a credit report, advises the applicant of the credit agency’s score and any derogatory financial information which suggests adverse action on the application. Critical to approval, the applicant provides the MLO with explanations for the derogatory items so the MLO can process the application.