Originations

New government aid programs for troubled homeowners are forcing cost-cutting lenders, especially banks, into a tricky balancing act.

New mortgage applications rose almost 7% for the week ending April 7 thanks to falling interest rates, which spiked a surge in refinancings, including HARP activity.

A consensus is forming among consumer and housing groups that the 'Qualified Mortgage' rule should encompass a large chunk of conventional mortgages that are being written today.

The great Charlie "Tremendous" Jones is very well known for this quote: "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read." Because I am a voracious reader, I have always focused more on the "reading" portion of this quote.

A Federal Reserve rule has sown widespread confusion about the way lenders pay housing appraisers, creating turmoil in an industry already burdened by expensive middlemen, falling home prices and diminished ranks.

Consumers Credit Union, Kalamazoo, Mich., is introducing a program offering home buyer assistance grants of up to $7,500 for qualifying first-time buyers.

U.S. Bancorp saw its mortgage banking revenue more than double in the first quarter, originating roughly $19 billion of residential loans, according to figures released Tuesday.

Lenders often pressure title agents to reduce their fees when other items disclosed on the HUD 'Good Faith Estimate' form exceed the allowed tolerances, according to new research conducted by the American Land Title Association.

For Residential Capital Corp. the shinola hit the fan on Tuesday. Early this morning ResCap filed a notice with the SEC saying it missed a scheduled payment on its debt Tuesday, laying the ground work for an eventual default - that is, if the payment is not made up within 30 days.

The residential mortgage division of Ally Financial Inc. missed a scheduled payment on its debt Tuesday, laying the ground work for an eventual default if the payment is not made up quickly.

Nearly three out of every four loan applications taken over the Mortgage Marvel on-loan shopping website last year were for refinancing.

Fact: Our industry can be a bit stressful. Which is why I love these two ideas.

Construction of new single-family homes fell flat in March after dropping 9% in February, according to government figures released Tuesday morning.

Mortgage standards are already too tight and the Consumer Financial Protection Agency should not make them even tighter in drafting a final 'qualified mortgage' rule, according to a new letter signed by 33 lender, housing and consumer groups.

Some regulators are using the state-run National Mortgage Licensing System to ride herd over more than just the mortgage business.

Political pressure backed with money can be very persuasive in Washington and it may provide relief for some underwater borrowers with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.

Median home prices in California for March saw their first rise in 16 months on a year-over-year basis -- at 1.6% -- while the 9.2% increase from February was the largest sequential gain in almost eight years.

Improved asset quality and declining expenses powered Washington Federal in Seattle to a $34 million profit in the quarter that ended March 31, a 32% increase from the same period in 2011.

Anthony J. Simich, a division vice president for eWarehouseOne, resigned from the firm late last week, telling National Mortgage News that the company is having trouble closing lines of credit.

Loan originator compensation rules were originally adopted by the Federal Reserve Board in September 2010 and covered institutions were required to comply with the provisions on April 6, 2011.