Origination

Prime Group Realty Trust, Chicago, said it is in the process of considering various financing and other capitalization and strategic alternatives for the company.

The Federal Housing Administration is seeking public comment on mortgage underwriting changes it plans to implement soon to reduce defaults and losses to the federal mortgage insurance fund.

The real estate segment at GE Capital, Norwalk, Conn. lost $524 million in the second quarter of 2010, about twice as much as a loss of $237 million for the same period one year ago. Revenues declined during the same time to $991 million from $1.0 billion. GE Capital itself turned a profit.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has requested public comment on proposed policy changes designed to reduce the risk of loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

Credit shortages in parts of the market such as the jumbo sector are a strong argument for finding a way to make private-label securitizationeconomically viable again, a panelist told attendees at a securities conference in New York.

Have you been through changes recently?If you are in the mortgage business and haven't gone back to selling pizzas the answer is yes. Successful entrepreneurs do not wait until “The muse kisses them and gives them a bright idea, they go to work.”

In a further sign that the housing market is in the tank, banks have been outselling home builders for the last 18 months, according to a new report from Housing Intelligence, an independent research and analytical firm.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is taking a hard line with some borrowers who want to sell their homes for less than they owe on the mortgage and avoid foreclosure.

Bank of America lost $1.5 billion on its residential mortgage business in the second quarter with credit charges remaining high and loan production barely rising from the first quarter.

The House late Thursday passed legislation to extend the National Flood Insurance Program for five years, increasing coverage on residential and commercial properties.