Originations

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders improved in May for the first time in five months as buyers rush to take advantage of near record-low mortgage rates.

A mortgage grapevine poster is dealing with a real estate conflict where the buyer’s agent is the broker while the listing agent works for the broker.

Persistent economic concerns will slow down the pace of recent commercial real estate performance improvements, according to Moody's.

The Senate Agriculture Committee has approved a farm bill that would grandfather most rural communities that are currently eligible for Rural Housing Service loans.

Popular is using a recent windfall to bankroll an aggressive sell-off of struggling mortgages.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp. has agreed to acquire certain assets from the Alliant Co. for $62.8 million.

Seasonally adjusted mortgage applications dropped 7.3% week-to-week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Lender Processing Services has launched its Workout Interaction Tool.

Richard Cordray has pointed out that originating loans that exhibit strong performance over time should not run afoul of the qualified mortgage rule that goes into effect in January.

The message: "Let me help you grow your business."

At the end of the day, the debate over the future of the Federal Housing Administration, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac boils down to one question: What is the appropriate role for government in housing finance?

The mortgage purchase programs developed by the Federal Home Loan Banks have performed better than the loans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchased during the housing boom.

Ancillary service providers are looking to help their mortgage origination clients with strategies for them to improve their volume going forward in 2013.

Private mortgage insurers MGIC Investment Corp. and Radian Group Inc. continued their bullish run.

We're hearing some institutional investors like a home equity sharing product that serves as a partial downpayment for consumers in return for a share of the home’s appreciation over time.

One company has assigned its highest expected investment grade rating to three classes of a single-asset commercial mortgage-backed securitization.

Prudential California Realty has been selected as the first member of the RealtyTrac Network, a licensed network available to independent and franchised brokerage companies across the country.

GTJ Consulting decided to utilize SecureView on all of the vacant firehouses to not only help the properties sell for a high price, but also avoid blighting the affected neighborhood.

A loan officer has posted on the Mortgage Grapevine that they are looking for a $900,000 loan with a 60% loan-to-value ratio for a purchase of an owner-occupied property.

1st Mariner Bancorp saw its mortgage origination volume increase 56% in the first quarter on a year-over-year basis.