Origination

PHH Corp. Tuesday commenced a tender offer to purchase for cash up to $300 million aggregate principal amount of its $450 million outstanding amount of 9.25% senior notes due 2016.

Starwood Property Trust, a Greenwich, Conn.-based real estate investment trust which makes commercial mortgage loans, had net income of $62.3 million for 2Q13, up from $44.5 million one year prior.

The origination business at Nationstar Mortgage Holdings is currently benefiting from strong refinancing activity but the giant servicer also is focusing on the purchase mortgage side.

Ethics concerns raised by House lawmakers about Raj Date, the former No. 2 at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau who left to form his own firm, appear overblown.

Title margins at Fidelity National Financial increased by 200 basis points in 2Q13 over the year prior, the best for any second quarter at the underwriter since 2003.

Including distressed sales,—short sales and real estate owned properties—the CoreLogic Home Price Index report jumped 1.9% from May to June.

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings reported net income of $123.4 million for the second quarter, up from $36.3 million a year ago.

The Obama administration will be calling on Congress to pass legislation that will allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to refinance underwater loans in private label securities.

Thomas Weldon Egan, who served as president of the Connecticut Mortgage Bankers Association from 2006 to 2008, died Aug. 2 at the age of 65.

As Gen. Douglas McArthur said, “Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.”