When it comes to news, originators rely primarily on the Internet as use of the printed word continues to fade. One general news source has a 30 percent market share. Among readers of trade news, e-mail is a popular method of delivery.

With a 30 percent share, Fox News ranked as the biggest primary source of general news for mortgage originators. A study from the Pew Research Center indicated that 60 percent of Fox News viewers are conservative, and another 23 percent are independents. Just 10 percent of Fox News’ audience are liberal.

No. 2 was CNN, which was listed as the primary news source for 22 percent of survey participants. The Pew study said CNN’s audience is fairly evenly distributed among conservatives, moderates and liberals.

CNBC and Yahoo each served as the primary source for general news by 7.2 percent of the surveyed group.

MSNBC held less than a 4 percent market share, while NBC and the Wall Street Journal each captured nearly 3 percent of the general news market.

Mortgage Industry News
When it comes to trade news, the share of originators who primarily rely on the Internet is 73 percent. Of this group, a little more than half access the news through a desktop computer, and more than a third use a laptop. Tablets were the primary method of trade news for 9 percent of originators, and smart phones were preferred by 4 percent.

E-mail is the second-most used method of obtaining mortgage industry news, with 22 percent selecting this as their primary source of trade news.

Print publications were used by just 3 percent for real estate finance news, while magazines accounted for less than 2 percent.

Reflecting the strong participation of Mortgage Daily subscribers in the 2012 Loan Originator Survey, Mortgage Daily was selected as the No. 1 mortgage news publication, with nearly one quarter of respondents choosing the Dallas-based company as No. 1 when asked “what are your top three mortgage news publications.”

Another 12 percent said they look to MortgageNewsDaily.com, while Scotsman Guide had more than a 9 percent share, Origination News had a nearly a 9 percent share and Mortgage Market Guide accounted for 8 percent of the mortgage news market.