Servicing

The plunge in oil prices may jeopardize almost $125 million of securitized loans backed by real estate in North Dakota, as drillers in the state scale back operations, Morningstar Credit Ratings said.

From the rollercoaster ride toward the TILA-RESPA implementation deadline to concerns about other areas the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would zero in on for scrutiny, these seven stories dominated National Mortgage News during 2015. Following are both the stories and an update on where the situation stands now.

The strong recovery in commercial real estate has enabled borrowers to resolve a lot of problem loans made before the financial crisis, but Fitch Ratings continues to expect no recoveries from "hope notes."

Property Assessed Clean Energy loans have been available in Florida since 2010, but lending, as well as securitization of these loans, has lagged far behind California largely due to a series of lawsuits challenging the program's validity.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending Dec. 25.

Senior citizens' equity in their homes rose by about $147 billion to $5.76 trillion, from the second quarter to the third quarter, according to the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association.

The rate of mortgage loan delinquencies fell in November, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Vestin Realty Mortgage I Inc. in Las Vegas said it will seek to remove its common stock from trading on Nasdaq.

Rising rates could slow the runoff from refinancings and add stickier purchase loans to servicers' portfolios. That's the good news.

President Obama is expected to sign a bill passed by both the House and Senate that grants extensions on a number of tax benefits enjoyed by individuals and corporations, including a number of temporary provisions that the real estate industry sought.