Mortgage defaults

Foreclosure starts increased nearly 7% in November from the previous month, but when compared to the previous year, they were down by over 9%, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

The distressed $149.4 million loan that backed UBS Group AG's giant trading-floor complex in Stamford, Conn., is up for sale, according to a person with knowledge of the offering.

Smaller companies that perform servicing are rapidly growing their loan portfolios — and not just in the default servicing space.

Two former executives of the failed GulfSouth Private Bank in Destin, Fla., and another man have been indicted on federal charges of defrauding the Troubled Asset Relief Program of $7.5 million.

Although Steven Mnuchin has close ties to Wall Street and was involved in some contentious deals, Democrats face an uphill battle making the case that those connections disqualify him to serve as Treasury secretary.

The largest month-over-month decrease in foreclosure filings since November 2010 occurred last month, according to Attom Data Solutions.

JPMorgan is returning to a familiar structure as it again pools large-market prime jumbo mortgages for investors in collateralized residential mortgage loans.

Fewer delinquencies are expected to accompany higher debt levels in 2017, TransUnion predicted.

SunTrust Bank failed a test related to the collection of default-related fees from consumers in the latest report regarding its compliance with the National Mortgage Settlement.

During the third quarter, the negative equity rate dropped to 10.9%, representing roughly 5.3 million homeowners, from 13.4% a year before, Zillow reported.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will replace the expiring Home Affordable Mortgage Program with a new loss mitigation option called the Flex Modification.

The national foreclosure inventory decreased by nearly a third in October from a year earlier, CoreLogic reported.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will again halt evictions nationwide for foreclosed properties during the holiday season.

Renasant in Tupelo, Miss., is the latest banking company to get out of loss-share agreements with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The amount of equity homeowners hold grew by $726 billion, or 10.8%, in the third quarter of 2016 versus the year before, according to CoreLogic.

As favorable credit conditions, including low interest rates, begin to dissipate, banks could begin to experience more stress from their loan portfolios, including their real estate holdings, according to Kroll Bond Rating Agency.

Steven Mnuchin's confirmation hearing is likely to be dogged by stories of homeowners who claim his bank, OneWest, illegally foreclosed on them. While the stories are unlikely to prevent President-elect Donald Trump's pick from being confirmed, it could weaken Mnuchin politically and rehash grievances from the financial crisis.

Foreclosure starts dropped to the lowest level recorded since January 2005, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

FirstKey Mortgage is marketing its fifth portfolio consisting primarily of formerly troubled first-lien residential mortgages that have rebounded to reperforming status.

Soaring Pine Capital has provided a senior secured credit facility to Park Street Group Realty Services to fund the company's acquisition of residential properties in the Detroit area.