Originations

Four states are considering legislation that would prohibit or restrict appraisers from using distressed sales, such as those of foreclosed properties, as comparable sales when assessing the value of a home.

The Pulte Group, the giant Bloomfield, Mich.-based home building firm, is terminating its $250 million revolving credit facility, effective March 30. The company will realize a charge of approximately $1.3 million associated with the change, which will be recorded in its first quarter financial results.

Homebuyer traffic was up in February, as slowly rising mortgage rates at that time prompted some buyers to lock, according to a monthly survey of real estate agents.

Recently I read the only thing people dreaded more than a trip to the dentist, was applying for a mortgage. As I sat in the dentist chair a few weeks ago, as a result of one of my 2011 goals to take care of my “dental health,” and experienced afresh and anew the agony of dental exploration, I couldn’t help but compare the dentist office to some of our own mortgage practices.

Mortgage industry professionals’ pride in certain traditions of goodwill can assist the military or other so-called workforce homebuyers, including doctors, through more accessible, more affordable loan options. And recent examples involve social awareness.

Over two-thirds of potential homebuyers and sellers believe the real estate market and property values will recover in the next year or two, a survey from Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services Inc., Newark, N.J., found.

Although bidders on residential nonperforming loans are griping about a lack of available product, that's not the case over in the commercial space, according to Donald Cogsville of The Cogsville Group LLC, New York.

Tannery Brook Partners, a commercial real estate investment banking firm based in Charlotte, N.C., is joining up with Cortview Capital Securities LLC, Richmond, Va., to form a new commercial real estate platform to enhance the latter firm's product offerings.

Up until a few years ago, quality control was not necessarily top-of-mind for many financial institutions. Mortgage executives knew it was there and that it was necessary to meet the requirements of the GSEs and other investors.

Fitch Ratings will not return the title insurance industry's outlook to stable until it sees evidence of a return to sustainable profitability and surplus growth.

When you take the "friendly" out of "Business Friendly," all you have left is business—business as usual. And we all know that's just not good enough.

Mortgagebot, the Mequon, Wis.-based provider of online mortgage rate search and loan application technology, was acquired by Canadian financial services technology provider Davis Henderson Corp. for US $231.8 million, the companies announced Thursday.

During the housing boom Robert Shiller, co-creator of the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, stood out (and endured taunting) for his pessimistic views on the market. Now he's in good company. A survey of 111 fellow economists and real estate experts by his firm MacroMarkets LLC found that the outlook for the market "continues to deteriorate," with a surge in expectations for a double-dip in housing prices.

Freddie Mac purchased $38.9 billion of home mortgages from its seller/servicers in February, a slight gain from January, according to figures released Friday morning.

The Small Business Administration has placed a lender toolkit on the agency's redesigned website to give its program lenders access to in-depth information and resources.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded 10 commercial mortgage-backed securities transactions to D, indicating the bonds have suffered principal writedowns.

Zacks Investment Research Inc., Chicago, is suggesting investors can profit from the housing crash by investing in apartment real estate investment trusts. It provides a list of five of these REITs to be considered.

A combination of higher-than-anticipated inflation data and continuing geopolitical concerns during the week ending March 24 drove rates slightly upward, according to Freddie Mac’s survey for the period.

PSM Holdings Inc., Roswell, N.M., is making its second acquisition in the Northeast in recent weeks, having entered into a letter of intent to purchase American Trust Mortgage Inc., a mortgage broker in the Boston area.

Almost one out of every two homes sold in Orange County, Calif., during February was either a lender-owned home or a short sale, according to a new report released by the California Association of Realtors.