Servicing

December was the best month of 2011 in terms of primary new mortgage insurance written by the current membership of the Mortgage Insurance Cos. of America.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is preparing to back away from a controversial plan to overhaul the 25 basis point minimum servicing fee paid on Fannie Mae and Freddie loans, after intense, across-the-board industry opposition to the idea.

Fannie Mae's issuance of mortgage-backed securities jumped 20% in December after a similar increase in November, according to new figures released by the mortgage giant.

Is the Obama Administration starting to listen to the mortgage industry - and in a good way? Well, don't throw a party quite yet, but two major mortgage developments this week suggest that perhaps the White House is starting to understand that you can't have a housing recovery without the cooperation of lenders and servicers that make the loans.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Wednesday that investors interested in participating in a program to convert real estate owned properties into rental homes could begin pre-qualifying for this initiative now.

To facilitate "streamline" refinancings, the Federal Housing Administration will no longer rank lenders based on the performance of those loans in its Neighborhood Watch system.

As the number of vacant homes continues to increase throughout the country, municipalities are becoming more conscientious about how banks and mortgage servicers maintain these empty properties.

The two largest remaining private mortgage insurers took actions that at least give them a chance at a future, while for a third company its dim outlook for staying in this business got even darker.

Four federal financial regulatory agencies on Tuesday reiterated supervisory guidance related to allowance for loan and lease loss estimates associated with junior liens on home mortgages, suggesting renewed scrutiny in this area.

Federal banking regulators Tuesday issued new guidance to ensure that depositories are properly estimating potential losses on second mortgages and home equity lines of credit.