Origination

Single-family housing starts fell 5.1% in April, yet another sign that the market for both new – and existing – homes continues to be anemic despite ultra low mortgages rates.

Mortgage bankers funded $118 billion of Federal Housing Administration backed single-family loans during first-half of fiscal year 2011, a 19% decline from the same period last year.

The connection between jobs and home sales has been well documented. But how about the correlation between employment and house prices?

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, the nation’s 19th largest servicer of residential loans – and a top subservicer for Fannie Mae -- late Monday filed registration papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission, declaring its intention to go public.

The House Financial Services Committee late last week approved several bills to restructure the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and curb its powers until the agency’s first director is confirmed by the Senate.

The modification of the Farallon portfolio, which has a $1.6 billion whole loan balance, is part of a wave of large-loan servicing activity noted in recent commercial mortgage-related securities reports.

Home builders continue to be depressed about their prospects for new construction despite a decline in mortgage rates over the past few weeks.

Nearly 95% of all the refinancings funded by Freddie Mac in the first quarter were into a fixed-rate loan product, according to the company's Quarterly Product Transition Report. The study only covers loans where Freddie Mac funded the original mortgage.

The spring home selling season started off slow, real estate agents reported in a monthly outlook survey.Potential buyer traffic dropped, but price expectations and listing activity both were up, according to Credit Suisse’s monthly survey of 1,200 real estate agents’ perceptions of traffic, inventory and prices.

With more and more home buyers turning to the Internet to start the process, GainClients Inc., Tucson, Ariz., is bringing its integrated lead generation platform, Sikku, that ties together mortgage lenders, real estate agents and title and escrow companies, out to the forefront. There is even a social media component.