Originations

Home prices began to sag again in August as 17 of the 20 cities in the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller house price index posted month-to-month declines.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage may be under siege in some quarters, but not at the Mortgage Bankers Association convention in Atlanta, where it was defended as on par with motherhood and apple pie.

The success of the first-ever Small Business Administration 504 first-mortgage pools sold on the secondary market for securitization means it is likely there will be more of these transactions in the future, an executive with one of the participating lenders said.Bank of America and United Midwest Savings Bank were the institutions that assembled the first pools to be sold in a new program authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

There are three types of shoppers in today's marketplace, according to one retail sales expert, and there are lessons to be learned from the insurance industry on how to not to deal with the most important class of them.

Home prices fell 1.5% August compared to a year ago, according to the newly released CoreLogic house price index, which registered it first annual decline this year.

Capacity issues — in terms of the number of reliable bodies available to take mortgage loan applications — is a key reason why the loan brokerage sector will survive, attendees of the MBA convention in Atlanta were told Monday morning.

Finding that feeling from within (and it should not be just about the money) to keep doing what you’re doing at your best.Motivation is the heart and soul of sales. If the sales person has lost their passion for they do every day, it shows in their results. But it needs to be the right form of motivation.

It's time for mortgage originators to draw a line in the sand when it comes to being forced to buy back loans from investors, an industry veteran said at the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual convention in Atlanta.

WASHINGTON—Two Houston mortgage firms with common ownership have agreed to pay $84,000 in separate settlements with the HUD Mortgagee Review Board.A mortgage brokerage firm with 200 branches nationwide, Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corp., agreed to pay a $38,000 fine to settle allegations that it violated branching rules mandated by the Federal Housing Administration.

When completed, the merger of Mercantile Capital Corp., Altamonte Springs, Fla., with Orlando’s Old Florida National Bank, will allow the commercial real estate lender to expand its services for small business owners in a number of ways.

Sales of existing homes rose 10% sequentially in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.53 million units, but were down 19% compared to the same month a year ago, according to figures compiled by the National Association of Realtors.

Mortgagees will be able to view sponsored originator performance information in Neighborhood Watch. On a monthly basis, FHA will aggregate sponsored originator performance for a rolling two year period. A link to the sponsored originator performance will be added under the Early Warnings menu selection.

After three consecutive years of declining remodeling activity, a key indicator of future spending on new kitchens, remodeled baths and other home improvement projects is finally pointing upward.

Builders nationwide have complained they can't compete with sales of distressed homes. But a Tempe, Ariz., outfit is using the drawbacks associated with buying foreclosed homes to fight back.

Existing home sales in California in September were down from a year ago — but more sales were notched during the month than in August, according to the state's Realtor organization.

Ginnie Mae issuers securitized a near record $413 billion of government-guaranteed residential loans in fiscal year 2010, according to figures released Friday afternoon.

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act numbers for 2009 show a welcome trend—home loans to minorities increased by more than 8%, after a whopping 45% decrease in 2008.

All 50 states are now on the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry, with Hawaii becoming the last state to join this week.

The Rural Housing Service is preparing to start guaranteeing single-family loans again, and sources expect the agency to make an announcement next week.

With refinancing applications booming across the country, warehouse lending volumes are quickly rising at ViewPoint Bank, Plano, Texas, which entered the space about two years ago.