Risk management

Alternative data used to score "credit invisibles" may do more harm than good. That's because in areas like employment and insurance, no credit score is often better than a bad one

A bipartisan group of Senate Banking Committee members is urging the Federal Housing Finance Agency to make risk-sharing a higher priority for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Two recent settlements show how far the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is willing to go to pursue lenders it believes skirted the loan officer compensation rules.

The California Reinvestment Coalition has called for a federal investigation into the foreclosure policies of OneWest Bank in minority neighborhoods.

How interested banks, REITs and other investors will be in replacing the Federal Reserve as buyers of mortgage-backed securities insured by government-related entities depends on a wide range of regulatory and economic factors.

Securities issuers are increasingly worried that risk-retention requirements could hinder efforts to broaden the types of loans securitized through the private-label market as implementation for the new regulation nears.

The title insurance industry in the United States looked a whole lot better in 2014, according to a recent study by Fitch Ratings.

Ocwen Financial's shares had fallen nearly 7% Friday afternoon, to under $10 apiece, a day after Standard & Poor's Ratings Services put the company's servicer ratings on CreditWatch negative.

Bank of America will close a back-office facility in a Sacramento, Calif., suburb and outsource some of the office's employees.

In the struggle between operational compliance and cost control, advanced analytics and technology can help lenders find an efficient middle ground.

Rep. Edward Royce, R-Calif., urged fellow House members Wednesday to support a Senate proposal that would make significant reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Bank of America scored a legal victory this week for all holders of second liens.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a blog post Wednesday designed to mollify industry and congressional concerns that lenders will not be ready to implement new disclosure forms by an Aug. 1 deadline.

Buyers of the unrated B tranche, which transfers the first 100 basis points of losses when homeowners default, will be paid a spread of 795 basis points over one-month Libor.

Farmer Mac officials are confident about the stability and continued performance of the loans on their books, even as the agricultural industry faces headwinds like the California drought and recent decline in corn prices.

As nonbank lenders continue to grow their stake in the mortgage industry, researchers from the Harvard Kennedy School argue that regulatory reforms should come to lower the risk associated with these institutions.

The Supreme Court issued a ruling Monday that said second mortgage liens cannot be voided in bankruptcy, even when the first lien is underwater.

Loan officers still rule the roost at most mortgage origination shops, but processors may finally be starting to get their due.

New servicing standards issued by the government-sponsored enterprises are unlikely to pose a hurdle for the biggest nonbank players in the market, but small servicers could find it more challenging.

Technology that takes into account the sales, cost and income approaches to property valuations is a more comprehensive method of risk assessment and can help detect pricing bubbles before they wreak havoc on the mortgage and real estate industries.