Data and information management

The 2.0 version of the HARP program is off to a strong start with the nation's five largest servicers gobbling up applications, HUD secretary Shaun Donovan told a Mortgage Bankers Association gathering Thursday morning.

Construction of new single-family homes fell flat in March after dropping 9% in February, according to government figures released Tuesday morning.

JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo & Co. each reclassified more than $1 billion of mortgages as nonperforming loans at the urging of regulators in the first quarter - even though the loans are still in good shape, their executives said.

Mortgage lenders issued $29.2 billion of GNMA MBS in March, up 5% from the prior month as securitizations of jumbo and multifamily loans surged, according to new figures released by the government.

Over the past two months National Mortgage News has been reporting on a mysterious warehouse lender called eWarehouseOne. Late this week we learned that Anthony J. Simich, a division vice president for the firm - and one of few employees there who actually returns phone calls and emails - resigned.

Wells Fargo & Co. reported strong earnings from its mortgage banking operation in the first quarter with residential originations more than doubling from a year ago and non-interest income climbing 42%.

JPMorgan Chase reported strong mortgage results for the first quarter, noting that residential applications rose 33% from the year ago period with chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon declaring that housing is "very close" to a bottom.

Mortgage rates on 30-year loans fell for the third consecutive week, easing fears that refinancings could slow dramatically.

Foreclosure filings fell in the first quarter to their lowest level since the end of 2007, according to new figures compiled by RealtyTrac, but the mortgage and housing industries shouldn't pop the champagne quite yet.

In 2011, more than $184 billion in commercial and multifamily mortgage loans was originated, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage applications fell 2.4% for the week ending April 6, continuing a trend that started several weeks ago when rates began to rise, according to new figures compiled by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

National home prices declined in January from December by 0.9%, reaching a level not seen since March 2003, according to Lender Processing Services.

HAMP servicers completed 22,260 loan modifications in February, up 24% from the prior month, according to a Treasury Department report.

Mortgage companies added 3,000 full-time employees to their payrolls in February, according to Friday's jobs report.

The total return to investors from U.S.-based REITs in the first quarter was 10.41%, underperforming the S&P 500, which had a 12.59% return for the period, according to the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. Still, REITs were successful in raising money during the period, possibly setting the stage to jump into the commercial refinance market.

Delinquency rates on home equity loans may have peaked during last summer, but they still remain at "troublesome" levels, according to a new report released by the American Bankers Association on Thursday.

Wells Fargo was both the top commercial/multifamily mortgage originator and top lender for 2011, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Small mortgage banking companies benefited from a 32% jump in loan production from the third quarter to the fourth quarter, but profitability per loan was crimped by a slight drop in pricing in the secondary mortgage market, according to a new report by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Prices of homes sold by owner/occupants are rising for the first time in years and there has been modest price appreciation in January and February, according to a new CoreLogic report.

Residential servicers completed 20% fewer proprietary loan modifications in February than the month prior, according to new figures compiled by the Hope Now servicing alliance.