Origination

I have some questions for all the owners of small mortgage origination shops: are you running your business like it is a business? Do you have the systems in place to examine what is succeeding in your business and what needs to be dropped or even eliminated? Or are you doing things by the seat of your pants, lacking the proper data to back up your decisions?

Fannie Mae in early November cut 160 full-time workers, including a handful of vice presidents, including one with almost 30 years of service.

New home sales rose 1.3% in October after September sales were revised downward, according to new government figures released Monday.

New optimism about the possibility of plans to address Europe's fiscal concerns boosted most industry stock values.

Walker & Dunlop, LLC, Bethesda, Md., on Monday announced that it has hired Dale Brem as vice president and deputy chief underwriter for the firm's FHA finance department.

Mortgage balances on consumer credit reports dropped by about $114 billion or 1.3% during the third quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's latest report on household debt and credit.

Even though the residential mortgage industry has been through the wringer the past four years outside money is continuing to eye the sector, but is being choosey about what it buys -- and how much it spends on both companies and servicing rights.

When you consider making a significant contribution into a cause or charity, you usually have a reason or purpose for giving to that specific organization. It might have been that the particular “cause” helped you or your family at one time. Or it might be you witnessed that charity make a difference in someone else's life.

Among the consequences of the mortgage bust is that any number of parties in the mortgage chain, including the secondary market and regulators, are scrutinizing the quality of appraisals tighter than ever.

The PMI Group Inc., Walnut Creek, Calif., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.