Origination

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed rate loan fell to 3.99% for the week ending March 29, compared to 4.08% the week prior, according to new figures compiled by Freddie Mac.

Coming off two straight profitable quarters and flush with capital from its recent public stock offering, HomeStreet Bank, a top ranked mortgage lender in the Seattle area, is back in the good graces of its regulators.

The House of Representatives this week passed legislation that protects confidential information banks and thrifts submit to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - but it appears nonbanks operating in certain states are not covered under the language.

The firm’s Mortgage Fraud Risk Report found that incidents of employment and income fraud increased 14% during 2011. This follows an upward trend seen over the last two years in which these fraud activities occurred 45% of the time.

Although Wells Fargo & Co. won't talk about its 'exclusionary' list of third-party lenders, correspondent loan buyers doing business with some of the firms say they wound up on the list mostly because of buyback disputes with the megabank.

Continuing its expansion in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., Eagle Bancorp, Bethesda, Md., has opened a pair of residential loan offices in Maryland and Virginia.

The largest banks are charging relatively high interest rates to borrowers that qualify for a government refinance program, according to analysts, who say that the trend bodes well for mortgage profits in the second quarter.

Allowing the controversial Transaction Account Guarantee program to expire on schedule this year could provide a critical boost to the Federal Home Loan Banks, according to a new argument by opponents of the government guarantee.

The National Association of Realtors reports that sales prices are continuing to fall, from an average of nearly $200,000 five years ago to around $172,000 today. A decline in average sales prices translates into a decline in average loan amounts - and since most mortgage loan originators are paid a basis points commission on the loan amount - that means less money for you.

Builder Meritage Homes Corp. has priced $300 million in senior unsecured notes due 2022 to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A.