Judge Denies Fannie And Freddie Investor Claims
A group of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac investors who claimed in a lawsuit that the federal government violated the Constitution when it...
CFPB Fines Title Insurance Company $200K For RESPA Violations
Another title insurance company has become ensnared in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) regulatory dragnet. Michigan-based Lighthouse Title has been fined $200,000...
HARP Continues To Present Opportunities
BLOG VIEW: Remember the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) heyday with a return on investment (ROI) of 18:1 and customers lining up at...
CFPB Fines Flagstar Bank $37.5 Million For Mortgage Servicing Violations
Flagstar Bank will pay $37.5 million in fines and penalties for failing to comply with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) new mortgage...
Jim Blatt: CRM Systems Helping Lenders Automate Processes And Boost Sales
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Jim Blatt is the CEO and co-founder of Mortgage Returns, a provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software and...
New Home Sales Rebounded In August
After tumbling 8.1% in June and another 2.4% in July, sales of new single-family homes rebounded in August, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual...
Castro: It’s ‘Too Hard’ For Most Americans To Get A Mortgage
Saying the regulatory 'pendulum has swung too far in the other direction' and that it's now 'too hard' for most Americans to get...
R. Hillary Willett: New Regulatory Landscape Requires Constant Communication
PERSON OF THE WEEK: R. Hillary Willett, Esq., is the director of publications and services for USFN, America's Mortgage Banking Attorneys, where she...
NAR: Existing-Home Sales Fell 1.8% In August
Existing-home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.05 million in August, down 1.8% compared to a downwardly revised 5.14...
Secrets To Quick And Efficient REO Asset Disposition
BLOG VIEW: Yes, the overall REO market has improved - but no, we are not in the clear yet. According to RealtyTrac's Residential...
Virginia Sues 13 Banks For $1.15B Over Faulty RMBS
New methods for tying losses on pension plans to defaults on poorly underwritten residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) have paved the way for Virginia...
Faced With Falling Volume, Large Lenders Expect To Ease Credit Standards
Large lenders are likely to ease their underwriting standards over the next three months, particularly for non-GSE-eligible and government loans, while smaller lenders...
Federal Reserve To Continue Tapering At Current Pace
Citing the fact that the labor market continues to be weak and too many Americans remain unemployed, the Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday...
Lorenz Schwarz: Despite Drop In Investor Activity, SFR Market Set To Grow
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Lorenz Schwarz is president of Green River Capital (GRC), a real estate services firm specializing in real estate owned...
HSBC Holdings Settles With FHFA For $550 Million
HSBC Holdings PLC is the latest bank to settle with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) over poorly underwritten mortgages sold to government-sponsored...
Zillow-Trulia Merger Could Forever Alter The Traditional Realtor Model
BLOG VIEW: As increasingly sophisticated technology continues to give rise to more direct-to-consumer digital marketplaces, industry practitioners are being driven to change their...
MBA: Mortgage Application Volume Fell A Dramatic 7.2%
Mortgage application volume took a steep dive during the week ending Sept. 5, mainly due to the Labor Day weekend. Overall, application volume...
The Importance Of Mortgage Accounting Basics
BLOG VIEW: As most mortgage professionals already know, running a successful mortgage company requires proficiency in accounting. The books and records created at...
Keith Murray: There Will Always Be A Need For REO Outsourcing
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Keith D. Murray is founder and CEO of VRM Mortgage Services, a provider of real estate owned (REO) asset...
Fannie Mae: Housing Recovery Is Decelerating
Six years into the so-called 'housing recovery,' consumer sentiment toward homeownership has never been worse. According to Fannie Mae's National Housing Survey, the...