Originations

Congress has opened the door for FHA lenders to originate jumbo loans of up to $729,750 without being crowded out of the market by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac products.

Radian Guaranty is seeking waivers in 12 states of risk-to-capital requirements, even though it does have $600 million in capital at the parent company level available to downstream to the mortgage insurer, chief financial officer Bob Quint said during a presentation at the FBR Capital Markets Fall Investor Conference.

Guggenheim Partners affiliate Pillar Multifamily LLC has agreed to buy Fannie Mae eligible loans sourced by Tremont Realty Capital LLC under a correspondent agreement between the two companies.

WASHINGTON—Although the chances are slim, the conforming loan limit in a few high-cost markets could rise on Jan. 1.

I have some questions for all the owners of small mortgage origination shops: are you running your business like it is a business? Do you have the systems in place to examine what is succeeding in your business and what needs to be dropped or even eliminated? Or are you doing things by the seat of your pants, lacking the proper data to back up your decisions?

Fannie Mae in early November cut 160 full-time workers, including a handful of vice presidents, including one with almost 30 years of service.

New home sales rose 1.3% in October after September sales were revised downward, according to new government figures released Monday.

New optimism about the possibility of plans to address Europe's fiscal concerns boosted most industry stock values.

Walker & Dunlop, LLC, Bethesda, Md., on Monday announced that it has hired Dale Brem as vice president and deputy chief underwriter for the firm's FHA finance department.

Mortgage balances on consumer credit reports dropped by about $114 billion or 1.3% during the third quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's latest report on household debt and credit.

Even though the residential mortgage industry has been through the wringer the past four years outside money is continuing to eye the sector, but is being choosey about what it buys -- and how much it spends on both companies and servicing rights.

When you consider making a significant contribution into a cause or charity, you usually have a reason or purpose for giving to that specific organization. It might have been that the particular “cause” helped you or your family at one time. Or it might be you witnessed that charity make a difference in someone else's life.

Among the consequences of the mortgage bust is that any number of parties in the mortgage chain, including the secondary market and regulators, are scrutinizing the quality of appraisals tighter than ever.

The PMI Group Inc., Walnut Creek, Calif., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

The average weekly rate for a 30-year loan slipped slightly below 4% and rates for adjustable-rate mortgages averaged new record lows in Freddie Mac's survey Wednesday.

The government-sponsored enterprises' Uniform Mortgage Data Program has been marred with delays and setbacks since the earliest steps began at Fannie Mae two-and-a-half years ago with the precursor to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal, the technology platform that will accept full electronic appraisal reports in a new XML-formatted data file.

Application volume fell by 1.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ended Nov. 18, as purchase apps were up to their highest level since August, but refinancings were down to their lowest point since July, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The data for the previous week (Nov. 11) was adjusted to take into account Veterans Day.

Only one county in the country–Fairfield, Conn.–will have a higher conforming loan limit in 2012. The ceiling in the other 3,200-plus counties will remain unchanged.

For the third consecutive month, builders in California pulled an increasing number of permits compared to the previous year.

Americans' confidence in their future retirement lifestyle reached a four-year low according to Sun Life Financial's Unretirement Index.Only 23% of those surveyed felt very confident they will be able to meet their basic living expenses in retirement. In the 2010 study, this number was 42%. Furthermore, one in five feel they will never be able to retire.