Secondary

Barriers exist to full-blown recovery in the housing market. Structural barriers. Economic barriers. Regulatory barriers. The list is endless.

Hilltop Holdings in Dallas has finally reached an agreement to buy the remaining shares in SWS Group that it does not already own.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta has appointed Bank of Georgetown Chairman Michael Fitzgerald to its board of directors.

Bank of America Corp. should face Securities and Exchange Commission claims over $855 million in mortgage-backed securities, said a judge who last week advised that a Justice Department complaint over the same securities should be thrown out.

Regulators are going against Congressional intent in their latest "qualified residential mortgage" proposal, former Rep. Barney Frank said.

The Federal Home Loan Banks' Office of Finance said members are borrowing more, yet net income for the system fell from the previous year.

The lender can experience problems selling a loan that loses qualified mortgage rule's protection. The lender also could be stuck in a vulnerable position if that loan ultimately defaults.

Trepp has launched TreppTrade Quick Analysis, a free tool that enables banks and commercial real estate companies to calculate cash flows and price yields on commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Wells Fargo ended its partnership with Douglas Elliman and eight others it had last summer. The new partnership is with The Federal Savings Bank.

The allegations centered on the broker and original lender’s conduct in connection with a payment of a yield-spread premium.