Servicing

The Department of Housing and Urban Development will revise its auctions of nonperforming mortgages to address concerns that the sales aren't doing enough to help homeowners in communities hurt by foreclosures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is sticking to its schedule and moving quickly to finalize proposed financial requirements for nonbank firms that service Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.

Private-equity funds and hedge fund players have become more active buyers of mortgage-servicing rights as traditional investors withdraw from the market.

Some consumers wish they had jumped into the housing market when rates were even lower, but they are only going to go up from where there now, the chief economist of Redfin said.

Demographic, cultural and technological changes will reshape customer service in the mortgage business over the next 30 years, a Wells Fargo executive said.

The share of seriously underwater homes increased quarterly for the first time since 2012, according to housing data firm RealtyTrac.

Stock Yards Bancorp in Louisville, Ky., reported much better-than-expected earnings in the first quarter one the strength of higher mortgage revenue and net interest income.

As banks have largely ceded the market for government-backed loans to nonbank lenders and servicers, it's fallen on Ginnie Mae to be sure that these nonbanks can meet their obligations to bondholders. It's a huge concern for President Ted Tozer, who says the company does not have the resources or manpower to examine these firms' finances.

Some mortgage-bond investors are criticizing a change in Freddie Mac debt that increases the risk of loss from homeowners who can't afford their loans.

distressed loans, foreclosure, Fitch Ratings, Residential Mortgage Market Index