Originations

Was it possible to predict the bursting of the subprime mortgage bubble before it happened, and thus maybe to prevent it or make its effects less drastic?

JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired $3.5 billion of multifamily and commercial real estate loans from Citigroup Inc., saying that the "highly desirable" portfolio mirrors the Chase commercial term-lending group's focus on "excellent borrowers in stable markets."

U.S. subprime prices may be hitting a plateau, according to Fitch Solutions' index.

Bank of America, in a new public filing, said it had $11.2 billion of "unresolved" mortgage buyback requests at June, a 50% spike since the beginning of the year.

Knight Capital Group Inc. has expanded its mortgage- and asset-backed securities capabilities in commercial real estate finance by hiring two managing directors in its Knight Libertas LLC unit.

CommonWealth REIT, Newton, Mass., has obtained a $750 million unsecured revolving bank credit facility to replace a $750 million unsecured revolving bank credit facility that was set to mature on Aug. 22.

Originator and servicer Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC, Horsham, Pa., has appointed Hugh F. Frater to replace departing chief executive officer Michael I. Lipson.

Even though the nation's megabanks are getting hammered by loan repurchase requests from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, small- to medium-sized nonbanks are escaping mostly unscathed, according to one mortgage advisor.

In the good old days of traditional direct mail marketing, experts repeatedly stressed that to determine the success or failure of any campaign, the marketer had to have metrics in place to measure the response. Failure to have those metrics in place meant that in most cases the marketer was wasting his or her money.

A study based on borrowers' cognitive psychology reactions may change what mortgage documents will look like three years from now.In a classic case where science plays "the devil's advocate" for the mortgage industry, a couple of academics are researching the fluid relationship between borrowers and their mortgages to see where it might be improved.

The seasonally-adjusted annual rate of housing starts north of the border dropped 1.6% month-to-month in July to 189,300 units following an upward revision of June figures, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

Navy Federal Credit Union, the largest CU player in mortgages, funded $944 million of single-family loans in the second quarter, a 56% decline from the same period last year.

The Federal Housing Administration is clamping down on refinancings where a second lien is involved.

A smaller percentage of U.S. homeowners had so-called "underwater mortgages" in the second quarter as more homes entered the foreclosure process even as price declines slowed, real estate Web site Zillow.com reported today.

NexBank of Dallas has launched a warehouse lending division, offering lines of credit of up to $10 million to nondepositories.

Freddie Mac is getting tough on seller/servicers that are not meeting their obligations to buy back mortgages that went afoul of the GSE's underwriting guidelines.

Scrutiny of so-called free credit report services is increasing as the Federal Trade Commission, in keeping with its consumer protection mission, has intensified its ongoing scrutiny of credit-related services due to concerns that, among other things, scores can affect would-the ability to get a loan.

California's Franchise Tax Board will cease accepting applications for the state's first-time existing home buyers' tax credit at midnight, August 15, but will continue to take applications for the tax credit from buyers of new houses.

Candy Metzler helped the people in her region recover after Katrina. She also has managed to become a top producer, while, at the same time, overseeing a branch office.

The need for the mortgage broker business still exists as consumers have needs that retail lenders are unable or unwilling to meet, ON found in talking with the leadership of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers during its midyear meeting in Phoenix.