State regulators

As Republicans policymakers pursue efforts to revamp the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and replace its leadership, state agencies are already preparing to fill any vacuum that might ensue if the CFPB steps back.

Old Republic International Corp. is again making noise about bringing its mortgage insurance subsidiary back to active status, while separating it out from the holding company.

The U.S. population is aging, and one of the well-established components of the American dream — buying and owning a home — appears poised to aid in the baby boomers' next phase of life.

Ocwen Financial finalized the deal to sell its interests in $110 billion of nonagency mortgage servicing rights to New Residential Investment Corp. for total consideration of $400 million.

U.S. District Judge André Birotte has dismissed all federal claims against Renovate America and its government bond-issuing partners in three lawsuits that had sought class-action status.

A Methuen, Mass., woman was forced to sell her home recently after she fell victim to an apparent scam targeting homeowners who are struggling with their mortgages.

Freddie Mac has priced its first credit-risk transfer securities backed in part by tax-exempt loans used to finance affordable multifamily rental properties.

Deutsche Bank has reached a $95 million settlement with Maryland stemming from the housing crisis that will funnel $80 million to provide new mortgages or mortgage relief to eligible consumers as well as help finance affordable housing.

Auditors performing a review of Ocwen Financial padded time sheets and claimed excessive and improper expenses, including lengthy travel and meals at strip clubs and casinos, according to a lawsuit filed against Fidelity Information Services.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has signed a bill that will expedite foreclosures of vacant and abandoned properties this fall.

Regulators have unfairly targeted Ocwen Financial Corp. with the goal of forcing it to sell its mortgage servicing portfolio to investors that would foreclose on troubled borrowers, claims a prominent mortgage finance analyst.

State regulators felt they were strung along by the mortgage servicing giant Ocwen Financial after years of promises that were never fulfilled, resulting in successive enforcement actions against the company.

To address an unintended consequence of the TILA-RESPA integrated disclosures, California regulators are making it easier for lenders to prove compliance with rules limiting interest charges on mortgage closings that take more than one day.

The Property Assessed Clean Energy program entails a priority lien that critics dislike, but one lender ran the numbers and liked them enough to take out a PACE loan itself.

The days of vacant, distressed homes covered in sheets of plywood appear numbered, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac move toward greater adoption of polycarbonate "clear boarding" to secure foreclosure properties.

In an echo of the rescue deals of 2007 and 2008, New Residential's CEO framed the transaction as something undertaken to benefit the entire industry.

Years after the worst of the housing crisis, states still dealing with high foreclosure activity are weighing laws to speed the process on vacant or abandoned properties.

United Shore Financial Services has agreed to pay a total of $1.4 million to consumers and California regulators to settle allegations it collected interest payments it was not entitled to.

Ocwen Financial is a step closer to the day when it can resume purchases of mortgage servicing rights.

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.