Servicing

Some prepayment reports are showing certain agency MBS speeds are picking up a bit, and at least one suggests that new FHA mortgage insurance premium changes could have a slight, mixed effect on Ginnie Mae bonds going forward.

So, which presidential candidate knows the most about mortgage banking? Newt Gingrich who gave invaluable advice to Freddie Mac, telling that GSE to avoid subprime acquisitions? (If only, Freddy had listened!)

Radian Guaranty Inc. did $2 billion in primary new insurance written in February, which is the fifth consecutive month the company has written at least that much volume.

LenderLive Settlement Services, Denver, is moving into the foreclosure/real estate owned title space through its acquisition of MoKan Title Services LLC, Kansas City, Mo.

Fannie Mae intends to replace traditional force-placed insurance on its loans with policies from a provider of its choosing, a move that could upend big banks' controversial force-placed insurance practices.

Whether the servicing operation is owned by a bank with an origination arm or not, HARP 2.0 represents both a great opportunity and a real risk for mortgage servicers.

Outstanding residential debt serviced by mortgage banking firms fell to $9.1 trillion at yearend, the lowest reading since the third quarter of 2007, according to new figures compiled by National Mortgage News and the Quarterly Data Report.

American Indian housing assistance is perennially underfunded, a trend continued in the Administration's fiscal 2013 budget request. $1 billion would be a good starting point, instead of the current $650 million.

President Barack Obama said 2 to 3 million existing FHA borrowers will be able to refinance at a lower interest rate under a new Federal Housing Administration streamline program that cuts mortgage insurance premiums in half.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will issue mortgage servicing rules this year that would impose new limits on force-placed insurance products and require additional disclosures for adjustable-rate mortgages, Director Richard Cordray said Tuesday.