Economy

Freddie Mac has appointed Arbor Commercial Mortgage as its latest seniors housing lender, the Uniondale, N.Y.-based mortgage company said Monday.

A New York law that was invalidated by a federal judge was one of many efforts by big cities to pressure banks into making more investments in local communities after the crisis. Some municipal laws could be more vulnerable to bankers' legal challenges than others.

Walter Investment Management in Tampa, Fla., said its second-quarter loss widened, as it recorded a goodwill impairment charge in its reverse mortgage division.

The delinquency rate for commercial mortgage-backed securities was little changed from June to July, according to Fitch Ratings.

A federal judge has overturned a New York City law that would have required banks to make new disclosures regarding their investments in local communities.

PennyMac Mortgage Financial Services reported a rise in income on higher servicing and origination revenue.

1st Service Solutions warned that the Las Vegas, Phoenix and Chicago markets could cause problems for commercial mortgage-backed securities investors.

PHH Corp. reported losses of $62 million for the second quarter, driven by major increases in operating expenses and a $46 million loss in the servicing segment.

M&T Bank's disclosure that it is in settlement talks with the Justice Department for not complying with underwriting guidelines on FHA loans has renewed fears that more lenders will be targeted.

United Wholesale Mortgage has introduced software to help brokers and correspondents close loans faster.

Essent Guaranty did $7.23 billion of new insurance written in the second quarter, the second highest volume in the company's brief existence.

Consumers have soured on the housing market as more people hold a negative perspective regarding their personal finances and the overall economy, Fannie Mae reported in its July 2015 National Housing Survey.

Employment in the mortgage banking and broker sector has grown 5.8% since June 2014.

Competition among lenders has been good for homebuyers.

Walker & Dunlop reported a higher second-quarter profit, citing gains from mortgage banking and servicing fees.

Capital One Financial is in exclusive talks with General Electric to buy the company's health-care finance unit, people familiar with the matter said.

Bank of America is offering $1.2 billion of mostly delinquent home loans, extending a series of sales by lenders seeking to pare holdings and meet demand by investment firms for soured mortgages.

Stonegate Mortgage reported a large increase in second-quarter profit on higher originations and a larger servicing portfolio.

United Guaranty Corp., the private mortgage insurance subsidiary of American International Group, has obtained reinsurance coverage on approximately $299 million of the book of business it wrote between 2009 and the first quarter of 2013.

Despite being introduced to the market with great fanfare, Fannie Mae's 3% down payment mortgage offering has yet to gain much traction with lenders and consumers.