Servicing

Six servicers were cited for a range of infractions, including a failure to respond to requests for loan modifications and not doing enough to prevent foreclosures. Punishment was harsh for Wells Fargo and HSBC, which are banned from acquiring mortgage servicing rights and entering into new servicing contracts.

Lenders continued to refinance mortgages through the Home Affordable Refinancing Program in April, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported.

A new analysis from CoreLogic found that 254,000 homes regained equity in the first quarter, meaning there are now 44.9 million mortgaged properties (representing 90% of the total) that are above water as of March 31.

Six banks including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have been placed under further business restrictions after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined they had yet to fully meet regulatory orders related to the independent foreclosure review which began in 2011.

A Virginia man on Monday pleaded guilty to federal charges tied to bogus real estate transactions conducted between 2006 and 2007.

More than a year after the CFPB revamped its employee rating system following allegations of discrimination Equal Employment Opportunity complaints have surged and the agency faces ongoing accusations of bias and retaliation against workers who speak out.

The decline in foreclosures and short sales is contributing to the dearth of housing inventory, complicating the prospects for home buyers feeling the pinch of tight credit and lenders that need purchase mortgages to supplant refinancing once interest rates rise.

California Gov. Jerry Brown violated state law by diverting more than $331 million in mortgage settlement funds for uses unrelated to housing, a Superior Court judge ruled.

A new Department of Housing and Urban Development policy will make it easier for servicers to transfer certain reverse mortgages back to HUD instead of foreclosing on widowed nonborrower spouses.

Mortgage professional hiring and new job appointments for the week ending June 12.