Financial institutions

Home values have risen fastest in markets where institutional buyers bought up scores of foreclosed homes and then rented them out. But these investor have largely curtailed their buying, and may even be ready to start selling off more properties to profit from the run-up in home prices. That could be good news for first-time buyers.

The amount of commercial mortgage debt maturing is set to spike this year, when loans taken out during the height of the real estate bubble start coming due.

Madison International Realty in New York has acquired 5.3% of the outstanding shares of Monogram Residential Trust.

The CFPB’s rapid pace is likely to continue this year as it tackles some of its trickiest areas yet, including payday loans, debt collection and overdraft protection, which are likely to have a significant impact on the financial services arena.

Bank servicers have a compliance dilemma: they need to quickly shed mortgage-servicing rights ahead of Basel III at a time when regulators are keeping a close watch on the manner in which transfers are handled.

The nation's largest banks have attacked their delinquent loan portfolios with gusto, but they may hit some barriers in 2015. The market for nonperforming loans is still robust with about $60 billion estimated to change hands in 2014.

The CFPB has at least six active investigations into servicers amid concerns that defaulted borrowers will not get foreclosure relief if their loan is bought and transferred to a new servicer.

Georgia's Department of Banking and Finance has finalized a cease-and-desist order against Community Legal Center.

Investor confidence in Ocwen Financial was clearly shaken Monday after New York state regulators forced the firm's founder out as part of a $150 million settlement.

Ocwen Financial Corp. is being examined over whether it improperly stalled short sales by borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth

AmeriSave Mortgage Corp. in Atlanta has closed on its acquisition of CertusBank's mortgage business.

Marketplace lender Social Finance may pursue a larger initial public offering than expected, CEO Mike Cagney said. Progress in its mortgage business and a new lending app will be pivotal to the company's future, he said.

Impac Mortgage Holdings in Irvine, Calif., is currently in negotiations to acquire an unnamed mortgage originator, the company said in a recent regulatory filing.

While evolving market conditions have made retaining servicing rights more attractive to independent mortgage bankers, making the right choice between an in-house operation or engaging with a subservicer is critical to the new business line's success.

Despite the mounting charge from burgeoning nonbank servicers, three large banks still control the majority of the servicing market.

There's little point to Fannie and Freddie's large profits if that money is remitted to the Treasury rather than making the GSEs more financially stable.

Officials at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae all heaped praise on nonbank mortgage lenders for stepping up to provide loans for home purchases at a time when many banks have scaled back.

PennyMac formed the new division to provide multifamily and other commercial loans under $10 million.

The days of megadeals worth tens of billions of dollars for mortgage servicing rights are over.

Increased fixed costs and poor business intelligence are hurting independent mortgage bankers' bottom lines.