Foreclosures

Widows, divorcees and others who inherit or otherwise receive mortgaged property often have a hard time getting loans modified because there are too many hurdles to proving they own the property.

Military families and service members are submitting debt collection complaints to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau at twice the rate of other consumers.

The California Supreme Court's recent ruling that a borrower has the right to challenge a wrongful foreclosure opens the door for a tighter mortgage market while leaving key questions about future borrower lawsuits unanswered.

Mortgage loan delinquencies improved from their spike in January to reach the lowest level recorded since April 2007, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking at whether mortgage servicers are boosting profits by prematurely unleashing debt collectors on delinquent borrowers, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The mortgage industry made fewer loan modifications in January, while deeds-in-lieu and foreclosure sales spiked, according to Hope Now.

The House passed a bill late Monday to extend foreclosure relief for military service members through the end of next year.

As servicers downsize their loss mitigation units, housing counselors are finding the companies' designated points of contact are less experienced, making it more difficult to get packages approved for troubled borrowers.

Home-price appreciation is a welcome development for households whose nest eggs were shattered by the residential real estate bust that began a decade ago.

Losses on commercial mortgages declined in February, with a Florida shopping center topping the list of the largest losses, according to Trepp.