Origination

Sales of existing homes rose 2.5% in August on a nonseasonally adjusted basis, after falling 10% in July.

Lending to investors and second-home buyers rose 10% in 2011 while overall purchase money transactions fell 5%, according to new origination figures culled from Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reports.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued new guidance to federally chartered banks and thrifts that are lending money to investors who buy real estate owned with the idea of turning those units into rentals.

Two years ago some top ranked LOs were accepting jobs at depositories because they felt secure in working for a lender that had a future. But new LO compensation rules turned out to be more benign than many thought.

As of late last year Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had placed more than 300 high-risk counterparties on watch lists and stopped doing business with more than 40 of them.

State governments in California, New York and New Jersey are consolidating the entity that regulates their mortgage originators into other departments.

There’s growing evidence that the second lien market is beginning to gain traction. But don't look for any 80-10-10 products quite yet.

Banks are starting to lend money to homebuilders again, a sign that the recovery in the housing continues.

In a new letter to the Federal Reserve, the National Association of Realtors declares that underwriting standards remain too tight and the Fed should use its influence to ensure that new mortgage regulations do not further inhibit access to credit.

The Mortgage Bankers Association hired industry veteran Pete Mills as its new senior vice president of residential policy and member services, effective Oct. 1.