Compliance

There has been some speculation that real estate investment trusts could become a target of leveraged buyout activity, but it is unlikely to occur in the near term, in part because the commercial mortgage-backed securities market is still constrained.

American Capital Mortgage Investment Corp. ended its first year as a public company with fourth-quarter 2012 earnings of $50.4 million in net income and earnings of $1.40 per share.

Flagstar Bancorp has revised its financial results from a $66.8 million profit in the fourth quarter to a $94.2 million loss due to lawsuits by MBS insurers.

For the third consecutive year Fifth Third Mortgage Co. has exceeded the national average of converting Home Affordable Modification Program workout plans into permanent modifications.

The number of Home Affordable Modification Program modifications slumped by nearly 50% in 2012, compared to the year prior.

The Fed is acquiring $85 billion of securities each month, and policy makers are grappling with how to condition markets not to interpret a stop in those purchases as a prelude to the exit from easy credit.

Recent data show the United States residential mortgage default outlook is strong in the context of the global securitized market.

Penny Mac’s stock ended the trading day Friday with the largest percentage gain among those listed in this publication’s Mortgage Industry Equity Composite.

It may be better for lenders to start gearing up for pending industry rules ahead of time than to wait for final regulations.

A licensed title agent in Florida and former mortgage broker was found guilty for her role in a reverse mortgage fraud scheme in connection to a loan worth more than $400,000.

The rapid growth of mortgage REITS and their reliance on short-term financing is worrying to Federal Reserve Gov. Jeremy Stein.

Home Loan Servicing Solutions reported net income of $14.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2012 and no change in servicing asset valuations.

It appears the best strategy for the time being is to follow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s rules, regardless of the confusion.

Prepayments on Home Affordable Refinance Program-eligible cohorts remained stable or slightly higher, but overall conventional bond speeds have dropped.

A former Michigan Supreme Court Justice faces 30 years in a Federal prison.

The McCann Law Group is now utilizing IndiSoft’s RxOffice platform to handle a variety of cases across the country.

As servicers better adapt to new federal regulation, the foreclosure versus mortgage loan workout momentum is finally changing, opening the way for the nonconforming market to return.

Fitch Ratings has updated its overall criteria for assessing and analyzing the operational risk of servicers of structured finance products including mortgage-backed securities transactions.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has run a successful single-family program by guaranteeing 25% to 50% of the loan amount and the Federal Housing Administration could adopt a similar structure to restore its program back to financial health.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has allocated $5.4 billion in recovery funds for areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.