Mortgages

We're hearing that the declining liquidity of Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities is raising concerns in Washington and on Wall Street.

Existing home sales rose 1.5% in July from the prior month, but prices took a breather after a long stretch of month-over-month increases.

Fitch Ratings warned that the potential mortgage-related use of eminent domain in some California communities could affect future lending in those areas.

Between April 5, 2006 and Feb. 26, 2007, the government presented evidence that the defendant committed 30 fraudulent sales transactions.

The overall stock market is on a three-day losing streak, but Mortgage Industry Equity Composite gainers topped decliners 9-7-1.

A commercial loan scenario posted on the Mortgage Grapevine is looking for $750,000 with a 50% loan-to-value ratio.

Capital One Financial Corp. has agreed to buy multifamily mortgage lender Beech Street Capital.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities deal priced its short dated, 2.47-year, class A1 tranche at 55 basis points.

Loan servicing systems may not make julienne fries but they can bring profitability to mortgage bankers and depositories that make the switch from selling whole loans to retained servicing.

CUNA Mutual Group filed five different civil fraud suits in federal court against major Wall Street banks seeking to force the banks to buy back $285 million worth of residential mortgage-backed securities gone bust.

New York housing advocates are calling for mandatory inclusionary zoning that requires developers to include affordable housing into new developments.

Anchor BanCorp reported a large quarterly loss just days after announcing a plan to file for bankruptcy and recapitalize itself.

The Federal Housing Administration has issued guidance for its new “Back to Work” program that could open the door for borrowers who lost their jobs and their homes during the recession to qualify for a FHA-insured mortgage.

Redfin’s July Bidding War Report found that competition on homes for sale fell to 63.3% of listings with more than one offer in July from 68.6% in June.

New large mortgage servicing rights transfers expected to be completed in the last half of 2013 indicate banks will continue to offload defaulted, high-risk loans into the hands of nonbanks.

There is some consensus that cash sales are historically high and likely to drop only gradually, but some figures put them closer to 40% than 50%.

The previously announced, all-cash transaction was financed through a combination of convertible debentures, equity and debt.

Knowing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s roadmap can help companies avoid compliance deficiencies.

ING Real Estate Finance has agreed to sell 29 commercial real estate loans with an outstanding balance of $1.6 billion to Wells Fargo Bank NA.