Originations

There has been a relative increase in builder debt issuance this week and more may be on the way.

President Obama is urging Congress to pass a bank tax, funneling the money over to the Federal Housing Administration which will then refinance non-GSE borrowers who are under water on their loans.

December was the best month of 2011 in terms of primary new mortgage insurance written by the current membership of the Mortgage Insurance Cos. of America.

Is the Obama Administration starting to listen to the mortgage industry - and in a good way? Well, don't throw a party quite yet, but two major mortgage developments this week suggest that perhaps the White House is starting to understand that you can't have a housing recovery without the cooperation of lenders and servicers that make the loans.

To facilitate "streamline" refinancings, the Federal Housing Administration will no longer rank lenders based on the performance of those loans in its Neighborhood Watch system.

Mortgage application volume fell by 2.9% for the week ended Jan. 27 from the previous week, even though mortgage interest rates declined for fixed-rate mortgages, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The two largest remaining private mortgage insurers took actions that at least give them a chance at a future, while for a third company its dim outlook for staying in this business got even darker.

Larry King has made a career (and millions of dollars) interviewing people. You can do the same thing-by interviewing experts, authors, speakers, and real estate agents from different parts of the country-yes, even agents in your lending area.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau still has to make a key decision before it can finalize a regulation that will determine what kind of loans -- and features -- mortgage bankers can offer consumers without facing potential legal liability of up to $100,000 per unit.

Ally Financial Inc. disclosed Tuesday that it will incur a $270 million charge in the fourth quarter - and an overall loss for the entire firm - due to what it calls "penalties" imposed by regulators and the states tied to "foreclosure related matters."

Barry Habib, a mortgage origination marketing expert and former top producer, has joined Residential Finance Corp., Columbus, Ohio, as its chief market strategist.

If someone fell asleep in 1980 and woke up today, that person would be astounded at the progress the last three decades have brought. However, if someone fell asleep in the appraisal industry in 1980, and woke up in the appraisal industry of today, that person might barely notice a difference.

The national vacancy rate for single-family homes fell in 2011 as foreclosures slowed and sales of empty units increased by 14% over the past four quarters, according to new government figures released Tuesday morning.

Once again the S&P/Case-Shiller index has found that home prices are creeping downward. But just how bad is it? As of November 2011, average home prices across the U.S. are back to where they were in 2003 - despite the lowest interest rates in half a century.

I'm a firm believer that the "power to buy" shapes home prices, except for when you're in the middle of a nasty housing recession. Of course, low rates don't hurt either. (And then there's underwriting standards.) Meanwhile, the new S&P home price index is out and no surprise there: values are still inching downward, albeit at what looks like a slower pace.

It is no secret that a happy employee or sales person is a motivated one. But what are the things that make your staffers happy? OfficeTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based temporary staffing placement firm conducted a survey which asked outside of compensation, what aspect of your job is most tied to your satisfaction?

While interest rates are low and residential inventory for sale is at an unprecedented high, it is more challenging than ever to obtain an affordable mortgage and qualify first-time homebuyers. Geographic variations on the other hand offer opportunity to leverage the demand through state- and local-level solutions that fit local market needs.

Banc of Manhattan Capital, Woodland Hills, Calif., entered the correspondent mortgage channel late last year, buying $50 million worth of product in the month of December.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released its first semi-annual report to Congress Monday, outlining the steps it has taken to get the bureau off the ground in its first six months.

Quicken Loans Inc., Detroit, funded $10.7 billion of home mortgages in the fourth quarter, a 14% gain from the same period a year ago.