Mortgages

The average primary market rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped four basis points during the week ending Jan. 5, returning to its record low of 3.91%.

Only 5% of Americans surveyed in a Harris Poll said they plan to refinance their mortgage this year, while just 1% said they expect to take out a home equity line of credit.

Did perceived liquidity problems at PHH Corp. lead to this week's ouster of company president and CEO Jerry Selitto? I'm told that PHH doesn't have any liquidity problems and the company said as much in a recent SEC filing.

In 2011, technology tools were crucial for lenders and servicers to adapt to changing compliance demands, new trends in origination and servicing, as well as in the valuations and default arenas. And many industry players are expecting more of the same in 2012.

Owners of small and mid-sized mortgage companies can get a head start on their taxes for this year - remember, the filings due on April 15 are for tax year 2011.

Now that a 10 basis point hike in GSE guarantee fees has been carved into law, mortgage rates could rise by as much as 25 basis points, according to calculations done by Lenders One, a national cooperative of mortgage funders.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is pressuring the Federal Housing Finance Agency to take additional steps to make the newly implemented HARP 2.0 program more accessible for homeowners with GSE loans.

Quick regulation is rarely great regulation. This will ultimately prove true for Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as well. The idea of a single individual as liaison for a borrower looking to avoid default is a brilliant core concept if the only problem is to simplify the process of navigating the “waterfall” of options currently available.

President Obama's recess appointment of Richard Cordray on Wednesday will clear the way for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to use its full enforcement and regulatory powers to police all mortgage lenders and servicers.

NewDay Financial LLC, Fulton, Md., has changed its identity to NewDay USA LLC. The USA part of the name looks to call attention to the company from its primary target markets as a Veterans Administration lender and Federal Housing Administration forward and reverse mortgage originator, company management said.

If you had only $100 to spend on a killer marketing strategy, how would you spend it?I posted that very question on my social media page at www.facebook.com/karendeis and I wanted to share with you some of the ideas, including many that don’t cost you anything but your time.

A global settlement has been reached between Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin and thousands of homeowners who filed a lawsuit who claimed that the company's tainted Chinese drywall product was used to construct their properties and severely damaged their homes.

As the economy makes gradual steps in its recovery effort and the unemployment rate is slowly improving from all-time record highs, individuals nationwide still believe in the "American dream" of owning a home.

Jerome Selitto has resigned as president and chief executive of PHH Corp., Mt. Laurel, N.J., and has been replaced by the company's chief operating officer Glen Messina.

I talk and write (a lot) about Realtor marketing and as you know, there are countless ways to spend your marketing time and dollars. Today, I want to point out what I consider to be the top three elements of a successful loan originator in relationship to Realtor marketing. These will help you build a strong referral-based business so your phone is consistently ringing with new clients. And isn’t that what we all want?

The Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate's annual survey shows the majority of respondents plan to increase their investment in U.S. commercial real estate this year, even though the percentage is lower than last year's notable high.

The Missner Group was appointed as a court-receivership of 14 distressed properties throughout the Chicago area through the end of the fourth quarter last year.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to implement a congressionally mandated increase to their loan guarantee fees on April 1.

Hilco Real Estate will be taking in sealed bids until Jan. 20 for an Illinois day school that is up for auction.

Big news in the online lead generation world—Google is no longer selling mortgage rate advertising to lenders in all but four states and the District of Columbia.