Mortgages

I talked with a loan officer who saw her glass as half-empty and asked Facebook, What do you do when you need more business? I received a ton of responses.

An outsourcing services provider is buying a capital markets consultancy for $75 million, and separately a mortgage company is outfitting its new servicing unit with lien-release technology.

I am thankful for the best of the hunters among us, the professional loan officer, who is good for the industry.

More homeowners will put their homes up for sale next year and increase the supply.

Commitments to buy new mortgages unexpectedly increased in October.

The deal releases the lender from certain existing and future repurchase obligations for approximately 716,000 loans originated between January 2000 and December 2009.

The individual performance of mortgage-related companies in this publication’s equity index ranged from a gain of about 2% to a loss of less than 1% in value on the day.

If Congress allows the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act to expire, homeowners who restructure their mortgages or are foreclosed upon would be required to pay taxes on canceled debt.

New standards give borrowers the upper hand in seeking loan modifications.

Lawyers for a Pennsylvania bank say the draft complaint may lead to the discovery of evidence that could be used in its own case against JPMorgan Chase.

Fifty years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Parkland Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, is preparing to move into a new $1.27 billion facility across the street.

Sales forces can command the responsibility for lending tens of millions of dollars in home loans each year, but often the actual amount of training they get remains minimal.

Despite existing home transactions being low and recent construction activity remaining below normal levels, all 42 counties tracked by DataQuick reported an increase in property values.

The Chicago-based special servicer only uses former mortgage sales people in its customer contact positions because they are experienced in the business and familiar with its terminology.

Regulatory pressure is expected to be as strong as ever next year when mortgage lenders and servicers will test new waters in compliance implementation, process improvements and business strategies. Market veterans find regulatory compliance risks are higher almost in every area of the business.

Yearend performance of securitized commercial mortgage loans is not yet showing significant improvement.

Affordability issues will reduce the stock of potential homebuyers.

This week’s increase in borrowing costs in Freddie Mac’s survey confirms that last week’s average decrease in rates was temporary.

Refinancing share is up week-to-week, but the Mortgage Bankers Association’s raw numbers show purchases are higher both week-to-week and year-to-year.

Increases in medium- and long-term interest rates still pose risks, but the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s Quarterly Banking Profile revealed that a rate recovery can also have advantages.