Data and information management

Mortgage bankers originated roughly $44.2 billion of jumbo loans in the second quarter, a handsome 82% increase from the same period a year ago.

Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif., introduced a bill that would cut off a community’s access to government-backed loans if local officials invoke eminent domain to seize mortgages.

Almost four in 10 active investors said they plan to increase their purchases of residential investment properties, while 26% said they would keep their activity level the same.

Existing-home sales rose in August for the third consecutive month while the median price paid for a house increased for the sixth straight month.

Roughly 58% of LOs told Hammerhouse that they consider their compensation “fair and compliant,” while 56% said their firms consistently meet “industry service standards.”

Single-family housing starts jumped 5.5% in August to their highest level in more than two years with home building executives starting to feel good about their future.

Mortgage applications were just about flat for the week ending Sept. 14, but refinancings—thanks to the HARP program—are on the rise.

Sales of existing homes rose 2.5% in August on a nonseasonally adjusted basis, after falling 10% in July.

Lending to investors and second-home buyers rose 10% in 2011 while overall purchase money transactions fell 5%, according to new origination figures culled from Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reports.

There’s growing evidence that the second lien market is beginning to gain traction. But don't look for any 80-10-10 products quite yet.

The nation’s refinancing boom has been plowing along for two years now—and just when it appears that everyone who could refinance has already done so, rates drop yet again, setting off another round of activity.

Union Bank, San Francisco, one of the largest jumbo lenders in the U.S., is on track to fund a record $9 billion in loans this year, according to a top officer at the company.

Foreclosure filings rose modestly in August compared to the prior month, as lenders are still struggling to work through the backlog of delinquent mortgages, according to RealtyTrac.

A TD Bank homebuyer poll finds that American women place a higher value on homeownership than men do.

The average rate for a 30-year Freddie Mac loan stayed at 3.55% for the week ending Sept. 13 as markets speculated on the possibility of further stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

The only subprime servicers growing their A- to D portfolios are firms specializing in high-touch mortgages that others are desperately trying to unload.

FHA residential servicers completed 27,150 short sales during the first nine months of fiscal year 2012, a 65% spike in such transactions.

Loan brokers originated 11.3% of all residential loans in the second quarter, their best showing in almost two years.

The Federal Housing Administration is bracing for a large spike in insurance claim payments now that servicers have adjusted to the requirements of the $25 billion robo-signing settlement with the nation’s attorneys general.

As other types of risk mitigation multiply, rewarding borrowers for continuing to pay on underwater assets continues to quietly gain traction.