Servicing

Municipalities are increasingly holding mortgage securitization trustsliable for the upkeep of properties, which could affect investors'cashflows, according to a new report from Moody's Investors Service.

Mortgage Banking Solutions, Woodway, Texas, says it is currently working on four merger-related transactions with announcements on two of them coming shortly.

Lenders would compete to refinance underwater mortgages if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stopped demanding "put backs" when new loans default, according to mortgage strategists at Bank of America/ Merrill Lynch.

Even if the White House can pull off a large scale refinancing program to help troubled homeowners it likely won't help the mortgage insurance industry much, according to a new report from FBR Capital Markets.

The Obama administration is finally realizing that a major refinancing program to help troubled borrowers could help stabilize the housing market and give the economy a jolt—and it would be particularly effective if it reaches an estimated 11 million underwater mortgagors.

Freddie Mac's fraud investigation unit is reaching out to Realtor associations and real estate agents to educate them about how to prevent fraudulent short-sale activities from taking place.

A Freddie Mac Reference Bills auction delayed Friday in anticipation of Hurricane Irene moved forward Monday morning as the weather cleared and mortgage-related securities markets opened on schedule.

The Government National Mortgage Association said late Friday that it is expanding the parameters for loans to be repurchased from its trusts to include those that have successfully completed a three-month trial payment period.

A rare public rebuke of a rogue attorney general by his colleagues has highlighted the dysfunction among the state AGs and raised doubts about their ability to strike a settlement deal with the nation's largest mortgage servicers.

In recent weeks Bank of America has been telling analysts and shareholders that it is actively selling mortgage servicing rights while offering little, or no, details on what exactly it unloaded – and at what price.