Mortgages

Household formation rates are breaking out of their nearly five-year slump and are expected to increase by 1.2 million new household formations in the upcoming year.

Single-family housing starts jumped 8% in December after a 3.2% decline in November as construction activity strengthened in the final month of the year.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is concerned many mortgage servicers are not acting in the best interest of loan owners or investors and more communication between the two parties is needed.

Regulators in 24 states are making the licensing process easier for mortgage loan originators by agreeing to a uniform state test.

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The New York City Apartment Portfolio Roll-Up loan received a split modification following new property valuations based on conversions from rent-stabilized to market-rent values.

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley reached a settlement with the Federal Reserve Board over deficient practices in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing.

One Grapevine poster is asking how many suspicious activity reports have the other posters on the board filed.

A report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies suggests changes to the housing finance system may negatively affect future lending to lower-income and minority borrowers.

We're hearing that reviews on the long-awaited Consumer Financial Protection Bureau qualified mortgage rule are mixed.

Genworth Financial Inc. will undertake a restructuring that in essence separates out its U.S. and European mortgage insurance operations from its life insurance operations.

The mortgage servicer settlement with federal regulators resulted in an $80 million fourth-quarter expense accrual for U.S. Bancorp, reducing its earnings per share by $0.03.

Homebuilders remain optimistic that a housing recovery will continue to take shape this year.

Andrea Johnson has been selected by US REO Partners to become the group’s new president.

Ellie Mae’s latest monthly sample data suggest originators who use its system continued to close an increasing amount of Home Affordable Refinance Program loans through yearend.

While private-equity firms snap up foreclosed homes in California, Arizona and Florida, smaller investors have found bargain-basement bonanzas in Detroit.

Even before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau comes out with rules this week to address servicing failures, the National Consumer Law Centerat is crying foul.

Purchase applications have risen to the their highest level since April 2011.

JPMorgan Chase reported single-family originations of $51.2 billion in the fourth quarter, up 8% from the third quarter and 33% a year ago.

A recent DC Circuit Court decision granting “standing” to surviving non-borrowing-spouses who sued HUD is an opportunity for HUD to solve this festering legacy legal, financial, and reputational problem.