Servicing

Title insurance giant Fidelity National Financial, Jacksonville, Fla., earned $83.2 million in the third quarter, a 14% rise from the same period a year ago, citing strong business inflows thanks to rising refinancings.

As the mortgage industry tries to entice private investors back into the space, lenders are looking to technology to provide data verification and analysis of the loans they're originating, according to a panel discussion at the Mortgage Bankers Association convention and expo in Atlanta.

Arguably the most outspoken, staunchly conservative member of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Jeb Hensarling appears eager to help shape the panel's agenda next year if the Republicans seize the House in next week's elections.

New home sales rose by almost 7% in September to the highest level since June, a sign that the market might be stabilizing.

Residential appraisers should command higher fees now that new regulations will require lenders and appraisal management companies to pay them “customary and reasonable” compensation.

Bank of America Corp. and GMAC Mortgage may be restarting some foreclosures, but this does not mean their legal problems with bad documents are over.

Mortgage bankers relied on MERS to be responsible for all of the documentation used in the home buying process, and as a result few in the industry looked at the paper work after the fact, said Becky Walzak, president and CEO at RJB Walzak Consulting Inc.

The myriad of local rules and practices associated with sheriff’s sales and real estate tax sales often lead to errors in the sales, according to one Allentown, Pa., attorney who wants to help Realtors and other real estate professionals get a better handle on the complexities of these transactions.

A handful of state attorneys general are taking a hard line with mortgage servicers by demanding loan modifications and principal reductions for those borrowers whose rights may have been violated by robo-signing.

An investment banking firm is warning federal regulators that a congressional mandate to stop relying on the credit ratings of Standard & Poor's and other agencies could be disruptive to the MBS market and increase capital requirements for depository institutions.