Mortgages

The first myth I want to address goes something like this: Sure, housing is important, but when you consider vital social issues, it's not at the top of the list. Health care, education and jobs, for example, demand more attention and resources.

While the Federal Reserve's Operation Twist might not have an immediate impact on the mortgage industry, the fact that it will keep interest rates down could have a longer-term effect on originations, said one industry observer.

Many readers are either in one-person businesses, in very small departments in companies with just a handful of employees. Still others of you are in large organizations but doing some kind of freelance work on the side. What are the ethical challenges of "flying solo" or virtually so?

Examiners from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau soon will visit the servicing shops of the nation's largest banks to check on their handling of defaulted borrowers seeking loan modifications or entering the foreclosure process.

Credit Suisse is making plans to possibly shut down the origination side of its commercial mortgage-backed securities business, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Over the past month two mortgage insurance firms have halted the writing of new coverage because of a lack of capital. Add that to the continued liquidation of another troubled insurer, Triad Guaranty, and you can boldly state that 38% of the MI industry is toast.

Mortgage rates are rising from their historical lows of the past few weeks.

The cost of homeowners insurance in California has risen nearly 7% from a year ago, according to an online insurance marketplace.

As policymakers inch slowly toward reforming the housing finance system, the Federal Home Loan Banks and their allies have a simple message to Congress: leave the system alone.

Three years after making a big splash in mortgages and then growing its business to become the 12th largest in the U.S., insurance conglomerate MetLife is now throwing in the towel on residential finance.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reported increases in retail and correspondent residential lending in the third quarter with pre-tax production income rising more than 70% on a sequential basis.

Do you have customers complete surveys? Do you solicit (or get unsolicited) testimonials? Do real estate agents tell you what a good job you've done? (Well, maybe I'm stretching this one a little bit.) The most powerful people on your marketing team are your past clients and real estate agents!

Congress should require the Federal Home Loan Banks to pay for an explicit government guarantee on their debt, according to a former GSE regulator and congressman.

Sabal Financial Group L.P. of Newport Beach, Calif., this week acquired a $153 million portfolio of loans located in some of the hardest hit regions of the U.S.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development late Wednesday said it suspended former LendAmerica president Michael Primeau from conducting any business with the agency after his admission that he engaged in a "wide-scale mortgage fraud scheme."

Since mid-spring, national quarter-over-quarter home prices gains have continued to soften as values are up 3.5% through September, compared to a 4% change reported through August, according to the latest Clear Capital Home Data Index Market Report.

Quandis has developed a new Web-based application that automates short sell workflows and streamlines communication between servicers, lenders, borrowers and real estate agents.

Proprietary loan modifications for August remained at a relatively flat pace from July with about 56,000, according to data from the Hope Now alliance.

The online real estate auction company and loan sales advisor Auction.com hired Elizabeth O'Brien as managing director and senior vice president to lead the company's expansion into the residential mortgage notes business.

Radco Cos., a real estate asset manager and consultant, has acquired multiple bank-owned multifamily developments in its hometown Atlanta.