Origination

Keeping up with the relatively recent estimate tolerance requirements from the last wave of GFE reform can still be a challenge, and with the next round expected to make those requirements even tighter, companies are likely to redouble their efforts to make sure they have an efficient and accurate means of producing documented data to back those estimates.

Recently my wife and I made the decision to consolidate our landline telephone service with our cable television and Internet service; the former came from a provider who does not offer the other two services in my market.

The common themes of control, consistency and transparency targeted by the various new regulations are creating an increased need for more loan channel-agnostic mortgage operations and systems, according to one expert.

More banks can be expected to finally begin dumping their non-performing loans this year, affording investors their first real chance at acquiring commercial real estate assets at bargain prices, according to a new report.

Old Republic International Corp.'s liquidity is "moderately tighter than previously expected," warned Fitch Ratings. This places greater uncertainty on ORI's ability to fund a potential debt acceleration.

Pressure from housing groups this week succeeded in thwarting a Senate amendment to a transportation bill that would have raised guarantee fees on Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac loans to pay for Gulf Coast reclamation projects.

On the heels of the much-anticipated release of Apple’s third-generated iPad, an Austin, Texas-based mortgage technology upstart believes the impending launch of its iPad application will be the catalyst for tablet adoption by loan originators.

Suddenly, it appears that mortgage banking is hot. Okay, maybe hot is not the best word, but in the past few weeks two residential-related IPOs have hit the market: Nationstar Mortgage, and Home Loan Servicing Solutions. Both are specialty servicers (of sorts), though the latter is really just a shell corporation created to unlock MSR value for Ocwen Financial Corp. (Or maybe I'm being too critical?)

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc.'s initial public offering opened this morning on the New York Stock Exchange at $13.58 per share, which is below its pricing late yesterday at $14 per share. At 11:20 am the stock was trading at $13.89 per share.

It may be the best of times to be a commercial, multifamily banker and the worst of times to be a servicer of securitized multifamily loans.