Mortgages

Don't count the mortgage brokerage sector out quite yet. Brokers captured 11.4% of the origination market in the fourth quarter, the highest market share reading since the third quarter of 2010, according to exclusive survey figures compiled by National Mortgage News and the Quarterly Data Report.

The release of the last few details of the $25 billion mortgage servicing settlement this week revealed a deal that was, overall, not quite as bad for the banks/mega-servicers as many observers and analysts expected.

While home values continue to fall nationwide, rental rates are soaring in many Metropolitan Statistical Areas, according to Zillow’s latest real estate market report.

Finalizing a process that began 13 months ago, the Appraisal Practices Board has adopted new guidance that will help valuation professionals help determine the value of seller concessions in the appraisal process.

The never ending refinancing boom appears to be slowing with applications continuing to fall -- but not by much.

Prior to the crackup of the housing market, most warehouse providers were ready, willing and able to extend credit to nonbank lending customers based on the value of their retained servicing rights. But then came the crash.

A lawsuit filed by the county register of deeds in Guilford County, N.C. Tuesday claims mortgage documents in its records were 'robo-signed' in the name of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. and wants a court to appoint a "Special Master" to determine which documents are fraudulent and require servicers to refile documents.

As fraudsters reinvent themselves, insiders warn about recent increases in short-sale fraud and call for preventive monitoring.

Everyone knows that if you are looking to purchase a home, the time has never been better than right now. Tenacious builders that survived the housing market plunge are gearing up; they are building new homes and remodeling existing ones at a rate that we have not seen for many years.

Every housing market investor has a certain mindset that guides decisions as to where to put their money, why, and when. Optimally, this "investment mentality" is not concerned with consumption or waste, but rather is focused on how to minimize risk and multiply hard earned dollars.

Swamped by huge volumes of delinquent mortgages, servicing managers at Bank of America, and Wells Fargo & Co. placed heavy pressure on staff to speed up handling of documents used to process foreclosures without properly reviewing their work, according to HUD audits released Tuesday.

The Lawyers’ Committee and counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell filed a lawsuit this week in New York Supreme Court in Nassau County on behalf of 18 homeowners claiming that a network of for-profit loan modification companies are conducting a fraudulent scam.

Kenney Funding recently completed two transactions on a retail property in Oklahoma and a residential condominium in Illinois.

MG Properties Group, a private San Diego-based real estate investor and operator, acquired Manzanita Gate Apartments, a 324-unit multifamily property in Reno, Nev., for $27 million.

GMAC Mortgage has hired Paul Ramos, a former regional manager handling Florida for MetLife Home Loans Inc., Irving, Texas.

First Guaranty Mortgage Corp. has inked a deal to use MortgageKeeper Referral Services' MKDesktop to connect its customers with local resources to help ease their financial struggles.

This week's congressional agenda features two hearings on housing, and a panel in San Antonio looking at the impact of new regulations on Texas lenders.

Home builders, which are starting to see nascent signs of a recovery, have two looming problems: a large "shadow" REO inventory to compete against, and FHA premium increases, according to a new research report from Credit Suisse.

It's hard out there for an LO - unless, of course, you have purchase money experience. The ongoing refinancing boom won't last forever. (Then again, we've heard that before.) Talk to any mortgage CEO or sales executive and chances are he'll tell you that he's hiring - but only loan officers with key contacts with Realtors and builders, which means housing may finally be poised for a true recovery.

WASHINGTON--The wave of Hispanic homebuyers that was promised just before the market crashed is finally ready to storm the market, according to a new report from a group of real estate professionals dedicated to increasing ownership among Latinos.