Data and information management

Overall, existing-home sales are up 14.5% from a year ago.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances increased by three basis points from the previous week to 3.5%.

Single-family housing starts fell 4% in November after construction activity hit a four-year high in the previous two months.

The national credit default composite reached 1.64% in November, 18 basis points more than the low mark experienced in September.

Home sales in November increased nearly 16% over the same month in 2011, the second highest year-over-year increase in sales this year, according to the Re/Max National Housing Report.

For the fourth-quarter Redfin survey, 71% responded affirmatively that they believe prices in their area will go up over the next 12 months.

Expenditures on home purchases and residential construction grew by 12% in 2012 and residential investment will grow by another 12% next year.

Economists at the Mortgage Bankers Association are forecasting a sharp drop-off in refinancings in the second half of next year due to slowly rising mortgage rates.

Issuance of Government National Mortgage Association-backed MBS jumped 12% in November on a sequential basis.

Synovus Financial recently sold a batch of nonperforming and substandard loans backed by real estate assets.

Bank of America has roughly 10 million servicing customers.

Thirty-one percent of renters said they plan to buy a home in the next two years, compared with 28% in May and 22% for January 2011.

Loan production expenses, which include commissions and compensation, increased to $5,163 in 3Q from $5,128 in the second quarter.

The privately held Provident Funding Associates also ranks ninth among all residential originators and is poised to become the largest wholesaler once Wells Fargo exits the space.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is maintaining significant funds for a still high number of troubled institutions and resources to implement the Dodd-Frank Act.

New loan applications increased by just over 6% for the week ending Dec. 7 with refinancings topping 84% of all new business, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods expects the Home Affordable Refinance Program will continue boosting gain-on-sale margins for mortgage bankers.

The secret is out: jumbo lending is hot.

Several megabanks—including Wells Fargo and Bank of America—have exited the reverse market over the past 18 months, leaving the business to an array of nonbanks and medium-size lenders.

PennyMac is experiencing explosive growth in the correspondent channel.