Origination

Only 5% of Americans surveyed in a Harris Poll said they plan to refinance their mortgage this year, while just 1% said they expect to take out a home equity line of credit.

Did perceived liquidity problems at PHH Corp. lead to this week's ouster of company president and CEO Jerry Selitto? I'm told that PHH doesn't have any liquidity problems and the company said as much in a recent SEC filing.

In 2011, technology tools were crucial for lenders and servicers to adapt to changing compliance demands, new trends in origination and servicing, as well as in the valuations and default arenas. And many industry players are expecting more of the same in 2012.

Owners of small and mid-sized mortgage companies can get a head start on their taxes for this year - remember, the filings due on April 15 are for tax year 2011.

Now that a 10 basis point hike in GSE guarantee fees has been carved into law, mortgage rates could rise by as much as 25 basis points, according to calculations done by Lenders One, a national cooperative of mortgage funders.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is pressuring the Federal Housing Finance Agency to take additional steps to make the newly implemented HARP 2.0 program more accessible for homeowners with GSE loans.

President Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray on Wednesday will clear the way for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to use its full enforcement and regulatory powers to police all mortgage lenders and servicers.

NewDay Financial LLC, Fulton, Md., has changed its identity to NewDay USA LLC. The USA part of the name looks to call attention to the company from its primary target markets as a Veterans Administration lender and Federal Housing Administration forward and reverse mortgage originator, company management said.

If you had only $100 to spend on a killer marketing strategy, how would you spend it?I posted that very question on my social media page at www.facebook.com/karendeis and I wanted to share with you some of the ideas, including many that don’t cost you anything but your time.

A global settlement has been reached between Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin and thousands of homeowners who filed a lawsuit who claimed that the company's tainted Chinese drywall product was used to construct their properties and severely damaged their homes.