Mortgages

Elected officials from President Obama to the new mayor of New York want to kick-start a building boom in affordable housing.

Communities and governments would avoid having to deal with abandoned properties on a protracted basis, which pulls down local property values and creates an unnecessary backlog in the court system.

Official puts servicers on notice that they should be ready to help borrowers who can’t afford the higher monthly payments.

Home Affordable Refinance Program loans are receding with overall refinancing, but in January they still looked to be running at about 23% of agency refis. The program ends next year.

Black Knight Financial Services is seeking a buyer for PCLender, one of its three loan origination systems, three years after acquiring it.

Mortgage rates increased as the improving job market bolstered speculation that the Federal Reserve will keep scaling back its stimulus.

Originating loans secured by condominium apartments or multi-unit properties is similar to the process for single-family properties but their are some important distinctions.

Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif., introduced legislation Wednesday to curb efforts by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to lower Federal Housing Administration loan limits.

Commercial and multifamily mortgage debt outstanding reached a record high during the fourth quarter, erasing the declines caused by the recession.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to address the growing problem of vacant and abandoned properties that banks and mortgage servicers have walked away from to avoid maintaining the homes.

Lenders don't want to make loans outside the Qualified Mortgage rule's tight debt-to-income standard. Young graduates don't want to add to their hefty monthly payments. Net effect: Fewer first-time buyers.

Mortgage bankers welcomed the Johnson-Crapo housing finance reform proposal as a start, but cautioned they had no illusions it will on its own bring private capital back to their industry.

State regulators fined Southeast Mortgage of Georgia $22,500 following allegations that the nonbank lender was doing business with an unlicensed loan originator.

Holders of residential mortgage-backed securities are planning to communicate with trustees and master servicers about Ocwen Financial’s practices, according to the Association of Mortgage Investors.

National lender hires more than 30 let go by Green Tree, one of several lenders leaving the market.

Mortgage applications fell last week as fewer consumers purchased properties and refinanced their homes.

The emotional side of financing a home is often overlooked by loan officers.

Tree.com, the parent of LendingTree, increased fourth-quarter revenue by more than half from a year earlier, a feat the company credited to strategy changes and new products.

Sens. Tim Johnson, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and Mike Crapo, the top Republican, received an overall warm welcome to their agreement on housing finance reform released Tuesday, after months of negotiation.

The upstart mortgage insurer says the deal will open the door to doing business with hundreds of small and midsize lenders that regularly sell loans to the two aggregators.