Origination

As the housing market improves, small and mid-sized builders are finding it harder to acquire and develop lots while their larger brethren are buying up land that they don’t intend to use for two or three years.

Federal Home Loan Bank members participating in the Mortgage Partnership Finance Xtra program originated $6.9 billion in single-family loans in 2012–up nearly 150% from the year prior.

Lenders said they see GSE reform as a way to give the large banks control of the securitization market.

MGIC Investment Corp. remains the Mortgage Industry Equity Composite stock with the most shares changing hands.

Mortgage real estate investment trust Five Oaks Investment Corp., New York, has priced its initial public offering of 4,033,333 shares of common stock at $15 per share.

Real estate appraisal services provider IRR-Residential, in the wake of a restructuring and spin-off from Integra Realty Resources, has changed its name to Accurity Valuation.

Florida’s housing market, often described as the nation’s real estate microcosms, is posting improvements in home values, inventory and sales that indicate the recovery is taking hold.

A growing scarcity of well-located finished lots for builders could temporarily put a damper on new home construction momentum, according to a Fitch report.

The safest bet is to put plans in place that avoid strong incentives to steer a customer to a less appropriate loan.

FHA lenders originated $51.8 billion in purchase mortgage loans during the first four months of fiscal year 2013, compared to $39.5 billion during the same period in FY 2012.