Mortgages

Radian Guaranty Inc.'s delinquent loan inventory declined by a scant 256 loans between October and November as new notices of defaults outpaced cures by nearly 1,800 loans.

Among the many hurdles any return of the private-label securitized market will likely have to overcome are conflict of interest measures in Section 619 of Dodd-Frank and the Volcker Rule, which as noted in a recent American Securitization Forum seminar, are hitting some key deadlines this month and next year.

One failing common among many small business owners (and in this universe we can include owners of mortgage brokerage shops and small mortgage banking shops) is that they do not run their business like it is a business.

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust is among those moving forward with expanding correspondent origination plans as larger players cut back, as a Securities and Exchange Commission filing released last month shows.

State and local governments aren't the only ruling bodies feeling the impact of the housing meltdown. So are homeowner associations, the "mini" governments that ride herd over hundreds of thousands of communities from coast to coast.

Interactive Mortgage Advisors, Denver, is auctioning off a $186 million bulk package of Government National Mortgage Association servicing rights.

More than 90% of the nearly 49,000 condominium units built in South Florida since the real estate boom began in 2003 have been sold. But that still leaves about 4,700 units to go.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority to finalize an "ability to repay" standard for lenders is being questioned, a situation that likely will slow efforts by other regulators working on a rule that exempts certain high qualify mortgages from risk retention.

Only one county in the country, Fairfield, Conn., will have a higher conforming loan limit in 2012. The ceiling in the other 3,200-plus counties will remain unchanged.

Fannie Mae recently told its seller/servicers that all mortgage insurance rescissions, cancellations and claim denials tied to loans it bought must be reported to the agency immediately.

Even with the housing market stabilizing and a settlement between megaservicers and state AGs on the horizon, the mortgage industry shouldn't expect an increase in originations next year, according to a new forecast from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

An industry hedge fund that selectively trades distressed mortgage assets is testing the use of borrower rewards for timely payment, with the aim of driving better performance, refinancing or modifications.

Craig Cole, a former mortgage production chief who recently retired from Union Bank, San Francisco, has launched a new consulting firm to advise clients on their jumbo lending and execution strategies.

The deadline to nominate industry professionals to serve on MISMO's residential governance committee is today.

Although insurance giant MetLife Inc. is contemplating bids for its banking and mortgage divisions, the company's warehouse lending unit is nearing the $1 billion mark in terms of commitments.

Perhaps the future for loan brokers isn't so bleak after all. Wholesale lenders table funded almost $33 billion of loans in the third quarter, giving the channel a 9.2% market share, according to new figures compiled by National Mortgage News and the Quarterly Data Report.

Just seven months ago, Democrats appeared to be boxed in, unable to confirm a leader to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without agreeing to demands from Senate Republicans to overhaul the agency's structure.

The federal government should create an entirely new secondary market agency for "high quality" private mortgages that would replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga.

Barclays Capital has a cautious outlook for both residential and commercial mortgage credit, its researchers indicated in their global outlook report Thursday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a new comment letter, strongly urges the government not to change the current GSE servicing compensation model, shooting down a FHFA proposal that would pay loan processors $10 per month for performing loans.