Mortgages

Clear Capital, a real estate analytics firm that provides data and solutions for financial services companies, has made changes to its senior executive team to support the company's business expansion.

The U.S. homeownership rate rose unexpectedly in the third quarter from 2Q as rental vacancies climbed -- with new evidence suggesting that tenants are tiring of rising rents.

BB&T Corp. has reached an agreement to acquire BankAtlantic to accelerate the financial services provider's expansion in Southeast Florida.

Because of still challenging market-making conditions, Credit Suisse Group is set to either downsize or cut altogether some securitization businesses and fixed-income units.

Nearly two-thirds – or 60% – of European CMBS maturing loans could fail to repay by the end of 2012, according to Standard & Poor's.

The New York Supreme Court late Monday denied Countrywide and Bank of America's motion to consolidate various claims against them made by four bond insurers led by MBIA Insurance Corp.

Moody's Investors Service has extended the review period for a possible downgrade of $871 million of outstanding bonds sold by the Idaho Housing and Finance Association while the issuer works on a plan to shore up its balance sheet.

When word leaked out a few weeks ago that Bank of America had lost one of it top residential loan officers to a competitor, it had a message for the troops: we value your work and want to keep you.

The refinance boom of the third quarter both helped and hurt earnings at PHH Corp., Mt. Laurel, N.J. The company reported a net loss of $148 million during the period due to a $361 million write-down of mortgage servicing rights values.

For one day, Nov. 10, a hotline will be established for seniors and others to call in on as part of the effort to fight financial abuse for those over 65.

The government owned Ally Financial posted a $210 million loss in the third quarter, dragged down by a $471 million pre-tax charge tied to its mortgage servicing rights.

Nearly three-quarters of baby boomers said they would rather be close to their children or family during their retirement year, rather than live in a community with friends of their own age.

New residential loan applications grew fractionally for the week ending October 28, despite continued rock bottom interest rates, according to figures compiled by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

States that rely on judicial foreclosures to clear delinquent loans are swamped with large inventories of problem homes with the overall process taking six months longer than in non-judicial states, according to a new report from Lender Processing Services, Jacksonville, Fla.

Annaly Capital Management, the nation's largest mortgage investing REIT, posted a $922 million net loss in the third quarter, citing a flattening yield curve and faster prepayment speeds.

While new CMBS issuance is likely to continue trailing off as of Tuesday afternoon there was still at least one deal in the works and there were signs of continued investor demand for it despite broader market concerns.

Many U.S. banks are eliminating or reducing high-risk assets, including real estate and mortgage backed assets that require more capital in preparation for the new Basel III recommendations that phase into effect by 2019. This shift is generating pressure on pricing policies and procedures.

The U.S. Department of Justice Tuesday sued Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corp. and two executives — including founder Jim Hodge — accusing them of fraudulent lending practices tied to hundreds of millions of dollars in government-backed loans.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield Tuesday morning dropped more than 20 basis points and the Dow fell close to 300 points, putting downward pressure on industry stocks and mortgage rates.

There were 58,019 single-family homes sold in Texas during the third quarter, up 18% over the same period last year, the Texas Quarterly Housing Report said. Volume, one economist noted, has returned to levels last seen eight and nine years ago, when the markets acted in a more normal fashion.