Originations

Loans securing commercial mortgage-backed securities finished 2012 at their lowest levels of new defaults since 2008.

360 Mortgage Group is offering a product designed for borrowers who qualify for less than 20% mortgage downpayment loans.

The deal, K-712, has an estimated size of $1.4 billion.

Fitch Ratings and Kroll Bond Rating Agency have released presale reports on the fifth Sequoia/Redwood Trust jumbo mortgage-backed securitization of the year.

Piggyback mortgages all but disappeared following the housing bust but they appear to be staging a comeback as lenders continue to gain confidence in the housing recovery.

New seasonally adjusted purchase loan application volume is up 1% for the week ended March 19.

In its 2012 annual report, Fannie Mae noted that most private insurers have lowered their premiums over the past two years for borrowers with high credit scores.

In the latest version of the National Real Estate Post, Frank and Brian discuss the future of the government-sponsored enterprises.

SNR Denton, Salans LLP and Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP have merged into a new polycentric global law firm.

United States Appraisals, a national appraisal management company, has joined the Collateral Risk Network.

Even though volumes rose in the fourth quarter of 2012, independent mortgage bankers saw their average profits per loan fall during this time period.

First Bancorp, the holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico, said that the financial institution has reached three separate agreements to sell a total of $532 million of unpaid principal balance in classified and nonperforming commercial loans.

As the Atlanta area continues its rebound from the housing crisis, Envoy Mortgage plans to be there during this recovery period.

Inconsistent, manual or expensive platforms that do not assess a mortgage loan portfolio in its entirety are a thing of the past.

The TD Bank Mortgage Service Index found that over half of the participating consumers expect more from their lenders.

Fannie Mae acquired nearly 640,500 Home Affordable Refinance Program loans in 2012.

The downgrade reflects an increase in expected losses primarily due to updated property valuations on the specially serviced loans.

Purchases of primary residences rose 17% in 2012 compared to the prior year, while purchases by investors slipped 2%, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Delinquent loans in commercial mortgage-backed securities increased in March by eight basis points.

The percentage of consumers who were late on paying their home equity loans fell to 4.03%, their lowest level in three quarters.