Origination

State and federal disclosure differences could be a challenge as U.S. regulators continue to work toward improving the Good Faith Estimate and consumers' understanding of it.

Twenty-four hours after Bank of America told Fannie Mae to take a hike on secondary market purchases, the realization is starting to sink in that one party -- the GSE -- may stand to lose a lot more than the seller/servicer.

Flagstar Bancorp, the nation's ninth largest residential lender, late this week agreed to pay up to $133 million to settle claims regarding unspecified underwriting practices associated with loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

First off, I'd like to thank the crew at Bank of America for continually giving mortgage reporters and editors something to write about. Don't get me wrong--there's plenty of good stories out there. And let's face it--and you read it here first: What happens regulatory and legislatively over the next three to four years should shape the future of this industry for the next 50 years.

The National Association of Home Builders is forecasting a modest but measured improvement in the remodeling and renovation sector, which has been troubled by the same conditions that have inhibited the new home sector.

Builders put up the fewest houses last year since World War II, but they were the largest houses ever.

First American Financial Corp., Santa Ana, Calif., earned $40 million in the fourth quarter, a 14% decline from the same period a year earlier as direct premiums and escrow fees fell slightly.

While United Guaranty Corp. posted an operating loss of $23 million in the fourth quarter, it was the private mortgage insurance industry's most prolific underwriter for the second quarter in a row, with new insurance written of $7.1 billion.

Bank of America Corp. is switching its U.S. employees -- according to its mortgage workers -- to a single defined contribution retirement plan at the end of the second quarter.

One of the more confusing areas of the loan officer compensation rules involves branch managers. Neither the rule nor its guidance made any mention of branch managers.