Nonbank

After drastic payroll reductions in December, lenders appear to be preparing for a better spring.

The shift in market composition is fueling concerns that if defaults rise, the Federal Housing Administration would have a harder time making lenders eat the losses on poorly underwritten loans.

The mortgage and title industries are creating training programs to teach those in the home sales process this is not just a swapping out of two forms for new ones.

The chance to earn higher compensation and the ability to offer more mortgage products is causing a growing number of loan officers to go out on their own.

Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of banks saw their production profits rise in the fourth quarter compared to a year earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Some nonbank issuers of mortgage-backed securities are wrestling with capital pressures, and Ginnie Mae has cooperated with their efforts to sell chunks of mortgage-servicing-revenue streams to investors.

Fountainhead Commercial Capital has created a program designed to allow banks and credit unions to outsource Small Business Administration 504 loans.

Lower-than-expected interest rates and greater demand for purchase loans has been a boon for both mortgage lenders and the crop of new or returning players providing warehouse lines of credit.

Investors punished Nationstar Mortgage, sending shares down more than 10% Wednesday, down $3.15 a share to $27.96 a share, after the nonbank servicer announced a capital raise of roughly $500 million that will dilute existing shareholders.

If you thought the subprime mortgage-backed security was an artifact of the past, think again. Nomura Holdings and Angel Oak Capital have a deal that may help revive the part of the market that went bust during the crisis. Their success could encourage more banks to dip their toes back into riskier mortgages.

Ocwen Financial Corp. agreed to sell servicing rights on a $25 billion portfolio of home loans and said it's out of compliance with New York Stock Exchange listing standards.

Ocwen Financial is fighting back against a group of large bondholders that have accused the Atlanta mortgage servicer of improper servicing practices and an alleged breach of trust.

Ocwen Financial has delayed filing its 2014 results and announced the sale of more servicing rights. The embattled Atlanta servicer was initially expected to report fourth-quarter and full-year results on Monday.

Fortress Investment Group plans to cash out its entire stake in commercial mortgage banker Walker & Dunlop.

An expected rush of refinancings of Federal Housing Administration loans could force some mortgage servicers to take writedowns in the first and second quarters, but they have more incentive than ever to keep borrowers in the FHA program instead of letting rivals lure away their customers.

Proposals for stiffer capital requirements will reduce the number of mortgage servicers, which in turn will cut access to credit, mortgage-company executives said at an industry conference on Wednesday.

Weaker appreciation in the low end of the housing market, combined with higher costs to originate mortgages tied to new regulatory compliance obligations, make smaller loans less attractive for lenders.

Homebuilding company TRI Pointe Group and nonbank national retail mortgage lender imortgage have partnered to create a new origination business.

Mortgage banking and servicing company 1st Alliance Lending is introducing a new national mortgage lending platform

New Residential Investment Corp. posted net income of $54 million in the fourth quarter, as the company gears up to close its acquisition of Home Loan Servicing Solutions.