Origination

The National Association of Realtors' gauge of future home sales rose 3.5% in November after a 9.2% jump in October.

Freddie Mac’s survey for the week ending Dec. 30 shows most rates were higher on a net basis during the volatile period, but the popular 30-year is still likely to end 2010 below the year’s highs.

The high upfront fees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge on certain single-family loans still do not "fully cover" all the costs and risks associated with those loan guarantees, according to Federal Housing Finance Agency acting director Edward DeMarco.

Online lending aggregator LendingTree said the average rate on its platform for a 30-year mortgage was 5.16% as of Dec. 28, down slightly from a week previous.

There’s nothing like a rapid spike in mortgage rates to send a chill through the spines of both mortgage bankers and loan applicants alike. As loan officer Ed Irwin of Kirkland, Wash., put it: “I’m a one-man shop and probably six loans that I was working on are now not interested in proceeding.”

Taxpayers claiming certain deductions, including mortgage interest deductions, will need to wait until possibly mid- to late February to claim them in order to allow the IRS to adjust its processing systems to handle recent legal changes.

HomeStreet Inc., the Seattle-based holding company for a savings bank focused on single-family mortgage originations, has further extended tender offers for all of its outstanding trust preferred securities until late February.

Heartland Financial USA Inc., Dubuque, Iowa, is consolidating a state banking charter in a move that is slated to include among its benefits higher loan limits for affected customers.

A.M. Best has slightly downgraded the financial strength rating and the issuer credit rating of National Title Insurance of NY Inc., noting that NTINY’s surplus—while positive—has not kept pace with its business growth.

Now before you start going ahead and thinking we are crazy let me explain a few things that are critical to your success.First – This deal was referred to us by another loan officer.