Amilda Dymi

Owner-occupied, bank-owned properties, will continue to both open business opportunities and increase loss severity pressures on lender-servicers.

Banks are dealing with the vicious circle of finding the right balance between lack of liquidity that makes necessary both the discharge of nonperforming assets from their books and investments that make foreclosure sales possible.

Marketing bank owned properties is an even bigger challenge in times when according to consumer reports the average consumer is bombarded with up to 1000 advertisements on a daily basis.

A five-point plan drawn up by a minority real estate coalition is painted in brush strokes too broad to present a definitive blueprint for change in the lack of affordable housing, limited financing options and other socio-economic factors that result in less housing opportunities for low-income minority borrowers. But it may, however, lay the groundwork for new housing solutions.

Lender Processing Services data show improved cure rates of seriously delinquent loans are balancing out the reverse effect of loan process reviews that brought many foreclosures back to a seriously delinquent status.

Financial advisors, including mortgage market advisors, expect to be in higher demand this year. The Financial Professional Outlook, a quarterly survey of over 800 U.S. financial advisors, shows nearly 31% predict revenue growth of 10% to 14% in 2011.

Mortgage industry professionals’ pride in certain traditions of goodwill can assist the military or other so-called workforce homebuyers, including doctors, through more accessible, more affordable loan options. And recent examples involve social awareness.

A class-action lawsuit filed against CitiMortgage Inc. in New Jersey indicates a legal glitch may be enough to prolong for many years to come foreclosure suspensions on loans that are or may become part of a class lawsuit elsewhere in the country.

Demand for mortgage servicing is rapidly expanding across the board starting with expertise, new partnerships and even self-serve specialty servicing options.

Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC, Horsham, Pa., has introduced a new floating-rate commercial mortgage loan program for loan originators nationally that enables borrowers seeking to acquire or reposition properties using non-recourse commercial mortgage debt.

Industry data showing delinquencies will continue to plague the mortgage market in the near future also indicate demand for short sales will go up motivating special servicing providers to get on gear.Most agree that specialized expertise—combined with effective borrower outreach and technology—are key in the success of a short sale transaction.

CoreLogic reports that the 27.9% of all U.S. homeowners with negative and near-negative equity mortgages are highly vulnerable to the 20% downpayment proposed by the Dodd-Frank Act.

Improvements in foreclosure activity while temporary and expected to wear off before yearend may lead to some stabilization.RealtyTrac February data show that in part due to processing moratoria, foreclosure activity decreased by 14% from the previous month and by 27% from February 2010 to a 36-month low.

Chase has hired eight mortgage professionals with a combined 96 years of experience to support its Newark, Del., office as the mega-bank further expands its borrower outreach efforts.

Speakers at the MBA National Mortgage Servicing Conference in Dallas called on servicers to move further up in their agenda fraud checks on loan modifications and short sale transactions this year and beyond.

New demand for short sales is expected to renew concerns about property valuation methodologies and compliance.Appetite for short sales and REO business support will be high at least for the next five years, said president of InHouse Inc. of Santa Ana, Calif., Jennifer Creech, a 23-year mortgage industry veteran who built her company based on an innovative approach.

The January Lender Processing Services Mortgage Monitor report shows frequent in and out loan delinquency and foreclosure traffic is one of the reasons why apparent improvements in the nation’s distressed mortgage market are relative, if not meaningless, when seen as part of the overall picture.

The January Lender Processing Services Monitor report shows frequent moves in and out of loan delinquency and foreclosure traffic is one of the reasons why apparent improvements in the nation’s distressed mortgage market are relative, if not meaningless, when seen as part of the overall picture.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has slated $50 million in “capacity-building” grants that will give an economic boost to over 250 low-income communities across the country.

Research findings are adding up to fears that the Federal Housing Administration’s sharp loan volume increase of recent years is moving the agency “into uncharted, risky territory” making it more crucial than ever for policy makers to come up with “a delicate balancing act” that would ensure the FHA “is not pushed too far.”