Movement Mortgage welcomes Justin Caplan as East Coast Growth Director. By: Movement Team * blog * Movement news * Movement Mortgage welcomes Justin Caplan as East Coast Growth Director. [Indian Land, SC] Movement Mortgage, a national top 10 retail mortgage lender, is proud to welcome Justin Caplan as East Coast Growth Director. In his new role, Caplan will lead strategic growth initiatives, support market expansion, and partner with leaders across the East Coast to strengthen recruiting and leadership development. With more than 30 years in the mortgage industry, Caplan brings deep experience in production, leadership development, market expansion, and organizational growth. Over the course of his career, he has funded more than $1 billion in home loans and spent the last 12 years as Growth President at Atlantic Bay, where he helped the company expand across the Southeast while maintaining a strong, people-first culture. He is widely regarded as a cultural champion who emphasizes recognition, teamwork, and adaptability, believing that meaningful growth is directly aligned with employee satisfaction. In addition to his production and leadership experience, Caplan has built a reputation for elevating recruiting strategy and strengthening leadership pipelines across multiple markets. His work developing leaders, building market expansion strategies, and driving organizational alignment has contributed to long-term, sustainable growth within the teams he has served. In his new role at Movement, Caplan will oversee strategic growth and recruiting efforts across the East Coast, enhance Movement's discovery and onboarding experience, and partner with regional leadership to strengthen recruiting performance and market expansion. He will also lead national Market Leader development by driving accountability, supporting skill-building, and equipping leaders with tools and training to grow their markets effectively. "Justin's depth of experience, his passion for growing leaders, and his proven track record in expanding markets make him an incredible addition to our organization," says Brady Yeager, Movement's National Sales Director. "His leadership will elevate our recruiting strategy and strengthen our ability to develop market leaders across the East Coast. We are absolutely thrilled to welcome him to Movement." On a personal note, Caplan is the father of four girls, including one with special needs, and runs a nonprofit in Tanzania. This work reflects his commitment to serving others both inside and outside the industry. "I have admired Movement Mortgage's culture for many years, and I am thrilled to become part of the team," says Caplan. "Partnering with leaders to drive meaningful growth while keeping people at the center of everything Movement Mortgage, LLC do is the goal.

Tech Pulse: are MLS policies built for the ChatGPT era? Welcome back to Tech Pulse - HousingWire's weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Zillow's integration with ChatGPT has ignited a debate over MLS compliance, with industry leaders examining the implications for data privacy and policy. While some view it as a technological advancement, others question its adherence to existing rules. Longbridge Financial discussed its newest technology tools and lending products at the National Association of Reverse Mortgage Lenders' Annual Meeting to support business partners and senior homeowners. Highlights include the AI-powered Bridget underwriting assistant and the Equity Engine tool for mortgage comparisons. Qualia's State of AI in Title and Escrow 2025 report revealed that 90% of title professionals use AI, with optimism rising 14% in two years. The global AI market is projected to reach $3.7 trillion by 2034, emphasizing its growing importance in the industry. Homes.com introduced Smart Search, an AI-powered tool allowing users to find homes using natural language queries instead of traditional filters. The feature supports detailed requests, location-based searches and speech-to-text functionality, aiming to simplify and personalize the home discovery process. The Real Brokerage introduced Real Wallet Capital, offering agents same-day access to working capital through its digital platform. This embedded lending technology, a first among residential brokerages, uses agent performance data for credit eligibility and loan amounts, integrating seamlessly with Real's proprietary software. Zillow Rentals launched Listing Spotlight, a feature to enhance exposure for single-family and small multifamily rentals. Available to AppFolio users, it allows property managers to control listing visibility and adapt to shifting leasing needs. eXp Realty partnered with fintech platform Payload to automate payment workflows, enhancing transaction efficiency for agents and consumers in the U.S. and Canada. The integration supports various payment methods and processes nearly 100,000 payments monthly. Movement Mortgage launched its new loan origination system, MORE LOS, completing a three-year technology overhaul to enhance efficiency and collaboration across its operations. Swiftbuild.ai's SwiftGov platform aims to revolutionize local government permitting by significantly reducing zoning review times and expediting housing development. Plaid's LendScore offers a new credit risk model using real-time cash flow data to provide lenders with a comprehensive view of borrowers' financial situations. This approach aims to improve credit assessments and reduce lender losses by leveraging Plaid's extensive network.

No down payment? These programs can help! * blog * mortgage sense * no down payment? These programs can help! Owning a home is a pretty major goal for lots of Americans, but the thought of buying a piece of property - whether it's a condo in the sky, a suburban house or a fixer-upper in the countryside - can be intimidating, especially if you're a first-timer. You're probably worried about saving up for a down payment and closing costs, finding an interest rate that won't break the bank and making sure you have enough cash for a few new pieces of furniture after you move in. But the great news is that there are programs to help first-time buyers - or even those buying a second home - overcome these challenges and make their dream of owning a new place a reality! Down payment and closing cost assistance. Saving up for both a down payment and estimated closing costs can be a real challenge - and it's one of the biggest obstacles to becoming a homeowner. These upfront costs can add up quickly and put owning a home somewhat out of reach for Americans who might otherwise be able to afford their monthly mortgage payments. But what if the obstacle you're facing is the type of loan you're considering? If you're struggling to come up with the cash you need to buy a home, don't give up hope: the following loans might put home ownership right within your reach! The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan program is a government initiative that helps low- and moderate-income Americans buy homes. With an FHA loan, qualified borrowers only need a down payment of 3.5%, which is much less than the 20% most people think they need to save to even consider buying a home. You can even get help from your family or other sources with gift funds to cover the entire down payment and closing costs. Other great benefits of FHA loans are that they're more flexible with a buyer's credit score, and the seller can pitch in up to 6% of the home's purchase price to help pay for closing and prepaid costs. * Movement has just launched a new program called Movement Boost, a down payment assistance program designed to help approved buyers cover their down payment for an FHA loan. This program is great for people struggling to afford all the costs of buying and moving into a new home. * Movement Boost is available nationwide (with the exception of NY) and provides the full 3.5% payment required to secure an FHA loan. If you meet the criteria for the 5% Movement Boost, you'll receive full coverage for your 3.5% down payment, with the remaining 1.5% allocated towards closing costs. Keep in mind, you will be responsible for any remaining closing costs past what the 1.5% covers. The amount will be provided through a repayable second lien that will amortize in 10 years, at an interest rate set at 2% above the rate of the first lien. * Brand new this year, Movement Boost is perfect for first-time buyers who don't have enough savings, but it's also open to repeat buyers. USDA loans. Backed by the United States Department of Agriculture, the USDA loan is another option for potential borrowers. It's designed for low-to-moderate-income individuals who want to purchase a home in a designated "rural" area - and you'd be surprised at how many suburban areas and small towns are included! One of the benefits of the USDA loan is that it offers eligible applicants the opportunity to buy a home without a down payment. It also allows for the seller to contribute to your closing costs. A VA Loan is a mortgage guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that's popular among eligible veterans, service members and their surviving spouses who want to purchase a home. One significant benefit of a VA loan is that it usually requires no down payment, enabling eligible borrowers to buy with little or no upfront payment. Making a down payment of at least 5% may lower your funding fee, which goes to the VA to help support the program. VA loans also don't require mortgage insurance, which is usually required for mortgages when there's less than 20% put down. And they usually have lower closing costs and more flexible credit and income requirements. The most popular way to finance a home is with a conventional loan, and it has great benefits for eligible borrowers. Unlike FHA and other government-backed loans, conventional loans can be used on almost any type of property with fewer property restrictions. Conventional loans have a variety of down payment options available, and borrowers who make higher down payments can enjoy even more advantages, like, if you can put down 20% or more, you may be able to eliminate the need for Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). If you're short on funds for a down payment, Movement Mortgage, LLC offer a variety of conventional low down payment options to help you get started, including: * * The HomeReady program, provided by Fannie Mae, is an affordable housing initiative that offers fixed-rate mortgages to creditworthy individuals with low-to-moderate incomes. If you're qualified, you can secure up to 97% financing, making it easier to purchase a home with as little as a 3% down payment. * Another unique feature of the Fannie Mae HomeReady program is that it considers non-traditional sources of income for qualifying purposes, including income from family members. * * Similar to Fannie Mae's HomeReady program, Freddie Mac offers the Home Possible and Home Possible Advantage home loan programs. With Home Possible, homebuyers can finance up to 97% of the home's value, so again, just a 3% downpayment. And co-borrowers can help qualify for the loan. * Home Possible is designed for people with modest incomes and those purchasing or refinancing properties in specified areas. Thumbs up for a lower down payment! Getting your down payment in order is an important step toward buying your dream home. Complete the form to connect with a local loan officer who can walk you through assistance programs and loan options that could help you get started with less money upfront.