REQUIRED READING: What (If Anything) Can Be Done With The GSEs?
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) sponsored a seminar on Nov. 12 in Washington, D.C., entitled 'Is it Possible to Reprivatize the U.S. Financial...
PERSONS OF THE WEEK: Joe Tang & Keith Yang Talk Property Auctions
With an increasing number of distressed commercial properties heading to auction, a well-run auction process will be important for ensuring that both buyers...
BLOG VIEW: Saying No To Mortgage Fraud…And Meaning It
Last week, President Obama signed an executive order that created a new Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. What is special about this task...
REQUIRED READING: The New Rules For Compliance In The Post-Crash Environment
One might argue that consumer protection and overregulation are just sauce for the goose these days. Yet a serious overhaul of mortgage regulation...
Risk-Retention Measure Could Help Heal CMBS
A financial risk-retention provision that could contribute substantially to recovery in the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) market has been approved by the U.S....
REQUIRED READING: Front-End Tax Relief Pays Back-End Dividends
While new challenges continue to arise daily in this tumultuous market, the modus operandi of the moment is survival. Servicers that can catch...
REQUIRED READING: The Outlook For The Economy And Real Estate
The economy's return to growth after a year and a half of recession marks a major turn, and it looks like more than...
BLOG VIEW: Tippecanoe And Chris Dodd, Too!
Back in 1840, when William Henry Harrison was running for president, his campaign made a bold marketing push to reinvent the aristocratic candidate...
FHA Reports To Congress
The Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund has fallen from 3% last fall to 0.53% this year, below its congressionally mandated...
REQUIRED READING: Tenants’ Rights Act Adds Landlord Liabilities
On May 20, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-22) was signed into law. Its intent is to...
REQUIRED READING: Stop Buybacks In Their Tracks With Better Compliance Reviews
Today's secondary market looks dramatically different from the one that fueled the mortgage industry just a couple of years ago. Not too long...
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Charles K. Rowley On The Effects Of Federal Intervention
More than a year after the federal government's intervention into the financial services sector, what is the shape of the industry? This week,...
BLOG VIEW: Learning About The Consumer Economy
I graduated from college more than two decades ago, and I admit to being clueless about the curricula of today's educational institutions regarding...
REQUIRED READING: Keeping HVCC Compliance Simple Without Sacrificing Effectiveness
Albert Einstein once said that everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler. That seems to mean that simplicity is...
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Howard Ecker Talks Property Sales
This week, MortgageOrb checked in with Howard Ecker, president and CEO of Howard Ecker + Co., a commercial tenant-representation company. Ecker discusses the...
REQUIRED READING: When It Comes To Costs, Don’t Forget The Here And Now
The credit crisis, asset write-downs and liquidity crunch experienced by financial institutions are causing senior executives and CEOs to fundamentally rethink business strategies,...
Trade Groups Protest Risk-Retention Provision In House Draft
Several mortgage trade groups have voiced their opposition to a risk-retention provision that the House Financial Services Committee included in its Financial Stability...
BLOG VIEW: How About Plugging In Energy-Efficient Mortgages?
Last week, President Obama announced a new multimillion-dollar federal initiative to speed the development of smart grid initiatives across the country. This is...
REQUIRED READING: Customer Retention May Be A Door Knock Away
Faced with a job loss or serious medical problem, many American homeowners in the last few years have come to an awful place...
REQUIRED READING: Improving Business Operations With A Mortgage Audit
It is no secret that a lack of investor confidence in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) has all but brought the secondary market to a...