Originations

The explosion in the number of REOs became a great way for investors and consumers to purchase properties for a steal.

Sen. Robert Menendez has proposed a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage reform bill in response to the Federal Housing Administration’s efforts to get a better handle over its reverse mortgage program.

Reporting a $387 million fourth-quarter loss did not deter investors from flocking to the mortgage insurer's stock.

CommonWealth REIT has priced its controversial 30 million share public offering at $19 per share. Meanwhile, a second lawsuit has been filed by another investor seeking to stop the sale.

It would appear that a real estate salesperson selling a home to a buyer that refers the buyer to a particular loan originator or creditor (lender) or a loan originator that works for the lender and expects compensation becomes a loan originator.

Discontinued operations lead to Impac having a net loss of $3.4 million for 2012, compared with net earnings of $3.2 million in 2011.

A poster on the Mortgage Grapevine is asking loan officers about the challenges they are experiencing when working with real estate investors.

Sending cuts scheduled to kick in Friday will constrain the availability of Federal Housing Administration mortgages that account for about a quarter of originations, threatening its role in the year-long housing recovery.

We’re hearing that sometimes one hand at a lender does know what the other hand is doing.

Radian Group’s equity and debt offerings this week raised nearly $690 million in net proceeds, a good sign for the industry.

Despite regional issues, year-over-year the nation's foreclosure inventory has fallen for 15 consecutive months to less than 3% of all mortgages.

Unlike other types of loans that community banks have historically made, commercial and industrial loans require ongoing monitoring, along with sound models and concentration caps, industry experts say.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped five basis points from the previous week to 3.51%.

DBRS and Fitch have rated Credit Suisse’s first prime residential mortgage securitization of 2013, noting that its representations and warranties are stronger than those in its previous post-crisis jumbo deal.

The national loan delinquency rate fell on a monthly and annual basis through January, Lender Processing Services said.

The qualified mortgage rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could be disruptive to the FHA single-family program, so the Department of Housing and Urban Development is starting the process of issuing its own QM rule.

Higher-priced homes in Los Angeles and the Bay Area have been leading the market’s recovery.

The member stocks of the Mortgage Industry Equity Composite benefited on Wednesday from the good news regarding pending home sales.

PacTrust Bank will start funding loans through the warehouse and correspondent programs in March 2013.

Freddie Mac plans to offer its second K deal backed exclusively by five-year multifamily collateral.