Risk

Soaring home values have property taxes on the rise. Servicers must be vigilant about borrower payment shock that can add complexity to escrow services and portfolio management. Here's a look at the states with the largest tax hikes.

A $165 million cash settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit that alleged investors were misled about the safety of mortgage-backed securities comprised of loans originated by now-defunct subprime lender NovaStar Mortgage Inc.

Walter Investment Management Corp. narrowed its fourth-quarter losses, as disappointed CEO Anthony Renzi called the nonbank lender and servicer's third consecutive annual loss "not acceptable."

Freddie Mac is preparing a transaction that transfers credit risk on $640 million of super-conforming residential mortgages.

Mill City Holdings is returning to market with its fourth securitization of reperforming residential mortgages, this time with a sliver of home equity lines of credit added to the mix of collateral.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions has launched a new mortgage trading platform for mortgage bankers and loan investors.

Rising interest rates have slowed a recent run of unexpectedly high prepayments of government-insured mortgages, making servicing rights for loans held in Ginnie Mae securities more attractive to investors.

The reduction in refinance activity as the mortgage industry pivots toward purchase transactions amid higher interest rates has caused loan defect and fraud risk to rise, according to First American Financial Corp.

CoreLogic has released a new platform that provides information on lien and equity positions for whole loan traders and servicers.

High origination volume and increased nonbank participation fueled another banner year for warehouse lenders, according to The Reynolds Group.

Black Knight Financial Services has launched a new tool that identifies potential liabilities to reduce title insurers' claims.

Phyllis Caldwell has put a priority on ensuring the company's board and workforce look more like the borrowers whose mortgages it services.

In the aftermath of enforcement actions, non-executive chair Phyllis Caldwell is directing the special servicer's efforts to diversify its leadership and business model.

Invictus Capital Partners, a nonprime mortgage lender based in Washington, D.C., is making its debut in the securitization market.

A number of banks are tapping the brakes on commercial real estate lending, giving others an opportunity to make more loans at better terms.

Citigroup's plans to sell a $97 billion mortgage servicing portfolio and subservice its remaining accounts highlights the growing prevalence of nondepository servicers and raises questions about how much capacity exists for these institutions to absorb more large deals.

A shortage of appraisers, combined with soaring demand for housing, is causing lengthy delays in Seattle and surrounding markets.

A bond-market startup is a step closer to reviving crisis-era derivatives that let investors bet on U.S. homeowner defaults.

In a candid, in-depth exit interview, Ted Tozer discusses Ginnie Mae's growth during his seven years at the agency's helm, the need for comprehensive housing finance reform, big banks' retreat from mortgages, counterparty risk management and more.

Fannie Mae is readying its first credit risk transfer transaction of 2017.