Alex Ulam

In planning to add 100 mortgage loan officers to its ranks, TD Bank is going against the grain.

After several setbacks and delays, the Uniform Collateral Data Portal is up and running.

Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. have agreed to hand off some of their foreclosed properties in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The banks have joined others in working with the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp., donating vacant and foreclosed properties to the land bank that serves the county in Northeast Ohio encompassing Cleveland.

A new avenue of attack may be opening up for investors seeking to force big banks to buy back billions of dollars in mortgages: drag the trustees into the fight.

Ultimately, Ocwen Financial Corp.'s pending purchase of Litton Loan Servicing is likely to benefit the investors in the $45 billion of mortgages that Litton manages and some of the homeowners. That's because Ocwen has a record of moving faster than Litton to resolve troubled loans, either through modification or foreclosure.

Two federal lawsuits against appraisal management companies could become weapons for mortgage-backed securities investors seeking to make lenders buy back soured loans.

Refinancing waves sparked by falling interest rates have long been a mixed blessing for all involved. The consumer lowers his/her monthly payment, but often pays fees and signs mounds of paperwork. Banks reap profits from originating the new loans, and their salespeople rake in commissions.

Why do some mortgage servicers appear to be modifying a great many more loans than others? How many loans are getting principal reduced, rather than interest rate reductions? How many loans in a given neighborhood are more than 30 days late?

To maintain an important inducement for mortgage putbacks, Freddie Mac has warned its seller-servicers to stop cutting side deals with mortgage insurers.

Four states are considering legislation that would prohibit or restrict appraisers from using distressed sales, such as those of foreclosed properties, as comparable sales when assessing the value of a home.

Far more than any trader's profane e-mails, due diligence reports from the securitization boom could worsen the financial industry's litigation headaches — and conceivably expose some firms and individuals to criminal charges.