Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: When will mortgage lending pick up?

The Federal Reserve has the whole world (of inflation and interest rates) in its hands, and the tea leaves right now are a tempest in a teapot. Plus MBA’s Stevens weighs in on Fannie and Freddie future, a change in mortgage bond investing and more. Read on if you dare.

Study finds manufacturing industry ready for the Internet of Things

83% of surveyed manufacturers either already have IoT implementations in place or plans to deploy within a year.

Want Zillow to pay your mortgage for a year?

Zillow is giving away $25,000 to pay one lucky person’s mortgage for an entire year. Hurry up though, the “Pay My Mortgage, Please” sweepstake ends Monday morning. Bonus: Details show how to get entered 10 times.

Agent Ace adds Kevin Heniff as director of business development

Santa Monica, California-based Agent Ace, a startup that uses data to match homebuyers and sellers with the best agent for their deal, announced the addition of Kevin Heniff as director of business development.

Founder of Manhattan Mortgage opens MC Home Loans

Industry veteran Melissa Cohn, who founded and ran Manhattan Mortgage Company for nearly 30 years then left to serve as the president of GuardHill Financial, is opening a new mortgage company based in New York City.

Nationstar gives $30 million for distressed homeowners in Milwaukee

Nationstar Mortgage will provide up to $30 million to financially troubled Milwaukee homeowners under an agreement with the city. This comes after months of negotiations, a spate of critical press and upcoming hearings on how the city is financing the proposed $500 million Milwaukee Bucks arena, which media and analysts say is definitely related.

Velocify announces partnership with Ellie Mae

Velocify, a sales acceleration platform, announced that its solutions are now available through Ellie Mae’s all-in-one mortgage management solution, Encompass. According to a release from Velocify, the “seamless” integration allows lenders to order Velocify’s solutions directly through Encompass to drive quality and efficiency in the loan origination process.

Just what is the Fed going to do about interest rates?

After a week full of market volatility and upheaval, analysts from all sides are questioning what impact, if any, the events of the week are going to have on the Federal Open Markets Committee and the looming threat of rising interest rates. Here's all the consensus, with uniform opinion woefully lacking.

Economic strength hinges on China

One of the worst weeks for the stock market this year is coming to a close, but the worst may not be over. The country continues to question the health of China's economy, along with whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month.

The Wrap: Appraisal activity continues to pick up in second week of August

Appraisal activity is picking up and so is interest in this weekly feature, as this week HousingWire welcomes a weekly addition to the column that should give appraisers more tools for their toolbox. Read on to find out what happened this week and what's in store for the future.

Fannie Mae: 3 reasons why this oil glut won't crash housing

Although oil prices are expected to be lower for longer, the negative impact on home prices is estimated to be less severe for most oil-producing states than in the 1980s for these three reasons.

Bove: Is a Fannie and Freddie settlement near in #FannieGate?

Is the White House stepping into the FannieGate brouhaha to push a negotiated settlement in the multitude of GSE lawsuits brought by investors who got hit by the Third Amendment Sweep? Read on.

NAFCU to CFPB: Fix your consumer complaint database

The National Association of Federal Credit Unions still thinks the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s consumer complaint narrative database is a problem, and they’re letting the agency know about it. Want to know more?

Altisource Residential adds CEO George Ellison to board of directors

George Ellison, who has served as the CEO of Altisource Residential Corporation since taking over for the company’s original CEO, Ashish Pandey in June, is now a member of the company’s board of directors as well.

Here come the 75 million homebuying Millennials

Out of 75.3 million Millennials, 93% want to own a home in the near future, so brace yourself. They're coming. And this infographic gives a representation of what to expect from this upcoming young generation.

Ex-Fifth Third banker starts mortgage-bond hedge fund

Meet Kevin Taylor. In 2013, he left his position running mortgage-backed securities trading desk at Fifth Third Bank to start Mariemont Capital. And according to a report from the Cincinnati Business Courier, Taylor is finding success investing in residential mortgage bonds and delivering big returns for his investors.

HUD gives $101M to communities for lead paint, home hazard removal

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded over $101 million to 32 city, county and state governments to deal with lead paint and other home hazards. Here's the skinny.

Front lawn dinosaurs cause stir in Texas neighborhood

A Texas couple is putting the average homeowners guardian lion statues to shame with a bit of a Jurassic Park twist on their lawn. Call in Chris Pratt?

Auction.com adds former eBay executive as VP of customer engagement

Continuing a recent trend of hiring high-level executives with extensive web experience, Auction.com announced the addition of Kristine Chin to serve in the newly created role of vice president of customer engagement. Chin joins Auction.com, the online real estate marketplace, after spending 12 years with eBay.

Walter affiliate Marix takes on $3.3B in Freddie MSRs

Marix Servicing, an affiliate of Walter Capital Opportunity, has received approval from Freddie Mac to hold mortgage-servicing rights. And this may just be the start of many more to come.

Mortgage Bankers Association adds 28 new members

The Mortgage Bankers Association announced that it welcomed 28 new members into its ranks in the months of June and July, continuing to elevate its total membership beyond 2,200 companies. Take a look at the new members.

What should you do if your Realtor has a family emergency?

Before you die of shock in learning that a potential homebuyer is actually being considerate towards their real estate agent, let me ask the following: What do you think should happen here?

Here’s what top housing economists think about pending home sales today

Despite the plateau and the summer cooling of home price growth, the summer buying season has been solid and the rest of 2015 looks good for housing. Want to know why?

Trending Thursday: Fed chills on Great Fall of China?

How much will the China and global equities plunge inform the Fed’s September meeting on rates? What’s the housing situation in New Orleans a decade after Katrina? And can private capital return to mortgage finance if it’s not sure that capital is safe? Read on.

Freddie Mac: China volatility pushes interest rates lower

Fixed mortgage rates declined to their lowest levels since May of this year due to ongoing global volatility out of China, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaging 3.84%.

Pending homes sales remain flat in July

Pending home sales were mostly unchanged in July, but rose modestly for the sixth time in seven months, according to the National Association of Realtors. Is this the start of a sustained slowdown? Read on.

Fed’s Dudley: Raising interest rates not likely very soon

A September interest rate hike is now unlikely due to recent turmoil in the stock markets from China’s volatile economy. According to New York Fed President William Dudley, the prospect of a September rate hike "seems less compelling" than it was only weeks ago.

Penthouse owned by ‘Psychic Hotline King’ is NYC’s 2nd most expensive rental

The man who was once called the “Psychic Hotline King," and the man that brought “Miss Cleo” into everyone’s TV throughout the 1990’s with their omnipresent infomercials, is also now the landlord commanding the second highest rent in all of New York City. Yes, you read all of that right.

Tough decision to be made by the Federal Maritime Commission

Tough decision to be made by the Federal Maritime Commission

Homeside Financial appoints Jared Ward senior vice president

Homeside Financial, a growing privately held mortgage bank, is adding Jared Ward as the company’s senior vice president of national talent acquisition and strategic growth. Ward previously served in similar executive roles for New Penn Financial, Movement Mortgage and Bank of America.

Freddie Mac: Housing market nearing stability

The housing market is teetering on the edge of becoming a stable market again. According Freddie Mac's latest housing report, housing markets are the strongest they've been in years.

Bookkeeper sentenced for failing to report $24M mortgage fraud

A bookkeeper who failed to report mortgage fraud was sentenced to two years’ probation, with six months to be served on home confinement, for his conviction for concealing massive financial institution fraud. You know you want to know what happened.

Winter is coming: Top 10 markets for winter house hunting

While spring and summer are the usual times to shop for a new home, waiting until winter might pay off for some of the nation’s hottest housing markets, especially California.

Here are the best places to buy a home right this minute

WalletHub is back with its list of the healthiest housing markets of 2015 so far, and it’s a doozy. No surprise that the Lone Star State figures prominently. But, which other markers made the cut, too? Have a look.

Home price growth is cooling and here's why that's a good thing

The housing market is slowing down, with home values seeing the first negative monthly change since the market began its recovery nearly four years ago, but that could be welcome news for challenged buyers facing ever-rising rents.

Mortgage apps rise on increase in government purchase loans

Mortgage applications increased 0.2% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending August 21, 2015. Here's what happened.

RealtyTrac: Share of in-foreclosure sales hits 15-year low

Sales of properties in-foreclosure and cash sales were down from a year ago to multi-year lows while year-to-date U.S. home sales in 2015 are at an eight-year high, and the U.S. median home price in July was at an 82-month high. Say what you will, this is one area of housing that's slowly fading. Read on.

HOPE NOW: Mortgage industry achieves 24M solutions and 6M loan mods

In the second quarter of 2015, approximately 411,000 homeowners received non-foreclosure solutions from mortgage servicers, according to HOPE NOW. The total number of foreclosures keeps dwindling, and here's how they're doing it.

Family gives up hope of finding missing Realtor alive

In a tragic turn, the family of the Arizona Realtor missing since mid-June is giving up hope on finding Sidney Cranston alive. They just hope now they can get some kind of concrete closure.

Toll Brothers' income slips as homebuilders predict brighter future

Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers posted third-quarter net income of $66.7 million, down compared to net income of $97.7 million last year. However, Robert Toll, executive chairman, noted that the company is encouraged by recent positive reports.

DocMagic names Gavin Ales chief compliance officer

DocMagic, a provider of compliant loan document preparation, compliance, eSign and eDelivery solutions, announced the addition of Gavin Ales as the company’s new chief compliance officer. Ales joins DocMagic from Prospect Mortgage, where he was deputy chief compliance officer.

California pending home sales post strongest increase in six years

California pending home sales skyrocketed since last July and posted the strongest year-over-year increase in more than six years. Read the article for a full picture of the Golden State.

How well do you understand your credit score? Take this quiz

The world of credit scores if often misunderstood, which is not a good thing since it plays a decent role in whether or not you will qualify for a mortgage. This quiz will test your knowledge on how well you know, or don’t know, the credit score system. A word of caution: Don’t get your hopes up for a 100%.

MBA: Housing demand to surge over next 10 years

If trends hold over the next 10 years, the next decade will see an unprecedented surge in the demand for housing. Millennials, Boomers and Hispanics will be the drivers if 2014 trends hold. This is big, so read on.

Redfin: Housing demand cools for 4th month straight

Redfin’s Housing Demand Index which measures and forecasts based on homebuyer activity prior to purchase, decreased 5% in July, falling to 108 from 113 in June, the fourth consecutive month-over-month decline. Troubling or welcome?

New private equity fund breaks into real estate

US REOF announced its launch into the industry as a new private equity real estate company focused on the acquisition, rehabbing, leasing and selling of single-family homes in Texas and select cities in the Midwest.

S&P Case-Shiller: Home prices continue rise in June

Home prices continued their rise across the country over the last 12 months, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. The biggest worries? Multiple rate increases or a full-blown bear stock market contraction.

NITL in New Orleans

The city and Port of New Orleans have been roaring back since the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina struck ten years ago.

New home sales jump 5.4% in July to 507K

New home sales showed solid if expected gains in July. And while volatility is common for new home sales, other housing data released last week suggest it's not a blip, analysts say. Here's the breakdown.

ABOUT TIME: Cost to originate mortgages finally gets cheaper

After barely surviving the subprime crisis and housing collapse, and then enduring the agony of burdensome regulatory changes and the advent of a new mortgage watchdog, mortgage originators finally, FINALLY, have some good news to spread.

FHFA: June 2015 house prices rose 5.6% from June 2014

The Federal Housing Finance Agency house price index rose 0.2% in June, below the low-end forecast for 0.3% but still a respectable gain. Annualized price growth was 5.6%, while prices in the second quarter rose 5.4% compared to the second quarter of 2014.

Seattle’s ‘Up’ house is getting its own movie

The tale of the small Seattle-area home that rose to fame after the owner famously turned down $1 million for her home even as a shopping mall was being built around her and was once used to promote the Disney film “Up,” because of its similarities to the movie, is now headed to Hollywood itself.

CFPB: Complaints against credit reporting agencies rise sharply

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released its second snapshot report of its consumer complaint database, and this time, credit reporting agencies are in the hot seat. So what do consumers think about the credit reporting agencies? Read on.

What does Black Monday mean for Chinese homebuyers?

The repercussions of Black Monday could go further than just today’s major hit, with the future of Chinese homebuyers now in question, according to John Burns, CEO and owner of John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

Miami Realtor accused of extortion lands sweet new job

The same Realtor accused of extorting two rival real estate agents earlier this month landed a sweet new job just days after his arrest. His new boss argues there are two sides to every story — and is going to give the accused a second chance.

Dow crash will only temporarily slow housing stocks

Within minutes of the opening bell on Wall Street this morning, as we are all now well aware, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by 1089 points. While I have been predicting a negative turn of economic events here in the U.S. created by fanciful delusions that our economy is in growth mode, I believe what we are experiencing is actually a "pressure release valve" being activated.

HUD has a problem with well-heeled people in public housing

Although many of the “over income” tenants exceeded the limit by a small amount, nearly half were over the threshold by $10,000 to $70,000. It took major bad publicity to get HUD moving. But now they are. Here's what happened.

Would you live in this 100-square-foot apartment in Manhattan?

How much are you willing to sacrifice in order to live in the heart of New York City? One apartment dweller in New York City traded in the luxury of even having a window to live within walking distance of the city’s best attractions at an "affordable" price.

Homeowner’s insurance costs twice as much with poor credit

Homeowners with poor credit pay exactly twice as much for homeowner’s insurance as people with excellent credit, a new report says. So the message is, pay your bills?

HUD moves to officially revise FHA lien pecking order

Echoing similar calls late last year from the Federal Housing Finance Agency to preserve the first-lien status of loans guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Monday that it intends to prioritize liens created by the Federal Housing Administration. So which loans are now subordinate?

Black Monday proves there's no perfect moment to raise interest rates

The Federal Reserve needs to be a little less, well, reserved. It needs to toughen up, raise interest rates and not apologize. As Shia LaBeouf should probably say, "come at me, bips."

Jacob Gaffney named editor-in-chief at HousingWire

HW’s former executive editor assumes the top editorial post at the nation’s leading housing economy publication.

Fannie Mae economic outlook for the second half of 2015 less upbeat

The first print of second-quarter economic growth was weaker than expected, and its composition presents a less optimistic outlook for the rest of the year. Black Monday indeed. Read on.

Black Monday hits housing, mortgage finance worse than Dow, Nasdaq

The Black Monday market collapse is hitting the stocks that drive the housing and mortgage finance economy worse than the major indices in early trading. Here's a look at the carnage that happened after Rule 48 was invoked.

Supply Chain Outlook Summit: The Economy In 2016 And Beyond

Economist Brian Beaulieu sees an improving economy over the next 24 months, with forward thinking companies expanding their capabilities. Is your supply chain ready for 2017?

Parkside Lending launches super-low down payment jumbo mortgage

Parkside Lending's latest announcement follows recent industry trends in the mortgage industry. The lender said it is expanding its jumbo product offerings to go to 95% LTV without mortgage insurance. The catch: Borrowers need 2 years of payments held in reserve.

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: What will the end of Fannie and Freddie look like?

Also, what happens when a columnist for Tribune puts 25% down on a house, but has $300 in unpaid parking tickets? He doesn't qualify for a mortgage, that's what. Read on for more head-scratching content on mortgage finance from around the web.

FHFA: Fannie, Freddie risk-sharing bonds are here to stay

It looks like the credit risk-sharing bonds from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, according to a new report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the three-year-old risk-sharing program, which is designed to help alleviate some of the financial risk for the taxpayers and attract private capital back into the market, is going to expand and improve on its current structure.

FDIC sues 3 banks over faulty mortgage-backed securities

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation sued Citigroup and US Bancorp, along with the Bank of New York Mellon, on Wednesday in an attempt to get back more than $695 million that it lost from selling shoddy residential mortgage-backed securities once owned by a failed Texas bank.

CoreLogic launches “homeowner intelligence tool” for lenders

CoreLogic, a property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider, announced a new “homeowner intelligence tool” that the company boasts can helps lenders identify the “most viable prospects and high value consumers.”

Here are the top cities my adventurous soul would love to live in

Unlike some other lists on the hottest housing markets, I would venture to say this one is my favorite since its suits me best. There is an immense feeling of excitement in finding the uncharted pockets of the earth that are more beautiful than anything man could create. So why not live close to those places?

Redfin: Top 5 homebuyer concerns

While the top three concerns for homebuyers are still very similar to 2014, number four and five in 2015 are new entrants to the list. Here’s what changed.

Aspen Grove Solutions partnering with with MB Field Services

Aspen Grove Solutions, a provider of property centric technology solutions to the financial and mortgage services industry, announced the addition of MB Field Services, a property preservation and inspection company, to its list of clients.

Hidden housing neighborhoods you can afford in San Francisco and NYC

The cost of housing in San Francisco and New York City is infamous for being outrageous. However, there is still hope. According to a recent Trulia report, there may be a few hidden gems you could afford in either city.

The Wrap: Appraisal volume back on the upswing

The week beginning Aug. 9 stopped the month-long downward trend with a 2.34% rise in the number of appraisals nationally, says Kevin Golden, director of analytics for a la mode inc. Plus moves in the appraisal industry, the lowdown on younger buyers and more.

Turning tragedy around: Murdered Realtor’s son urges more safety

A year ago next month, the search for Beverly Carter, the Arkansas Realtor who had been missing since Sept. 25, 2014, ended tragically when her body was found about 25 miles north of Little Rock. Now, one of Carter’s sons is making it a mission to teach Realtors safety.

Ed DeMarco: Kill Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

The former Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Ed DeMarco, who oversaw the government putting the GSEs into conservatorship, says now it’s time for taxpayers to be free of backstopping mortgages. Is he onto something?

Black Knight: Foreclosure inventory falls to 8-year low

Good news for homeowners is bad news for investors and cash buyers — the inventory of foreclosures is at its lowest in eight years. Want to know where and how?

Supply chain, data analytics, and Big Data

Raytheon’s supply chain leader says new technologies such as data analytics and Big Data will make supply chains better, faster, and smoother.

Blackstone acquires majority stake in Stearns Lending

Blackstone, a full-service, private-equity funded investment bank and burgeoning mortgage lending giant based in New York, is set to increase its mortgage business even more, as the company looks to acquire a majority stake in Stearns Holdings, the parent company of Stearns Lending. Click here for more details.

United Wholesale Mortgage promotes Melinda Wilner to chief operating officer

United Wholesale Mortgage announced the promotion of Melinda Wilner to the newly created role of chief operating officer. Prior to her promotion, Wilner served as executive vice president of underwriting for the wholesale lender.

Should investors worry about Fannie, Freddie risk-sharing bonds?

Despite increasing in prevalence in the last few months, credit risk-sharing transactions from both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have some investors worried due to a recent drop in the prices for the bonds. What's causing the drop?

Ocwen partners with housing advocates to help troubled owners

This effort is part of Ocwen’s outreach to bring real solutions to struggling homeowners in the United States, and part of its ongoing effort to rehabilitate its image after a rough 2014. Read on.

Placester announces partnership with Keller Williams

Placester announced a partnership with Keller Williams to provide websites and marketing tools to the brand’s 123,000 real estate associates. Associates and local offices will now have access to Placester websites that include direct integration with eEdge.

Onward and upward: Zillow completes DotLoop acquisition

Zillow Group’s acquisition of DotLoop, a Cincinnati-based company that boasts it can simplify real estate transactions by enabling brokerages, real estate agents, and their clients to share, edit, sign and store documents digitally, is now complete. For Zillow, the deal represents a big opportunity for growth.

Is Detroit really the hottest housing market right now?

"While Detroit has seen healthy gains this year, the Home Value Forecast rating system shows that Detroit is still a soft market," said Tom O'Grady, CEO of Pro Teck Valuation Services. "Although examining one indicator is helpful, it's important to analyze several home price indicators to best understand the health of a real estate market."

Fannie Mae finds familiar buyer for second non-performing loan sale

Fannie Mae announced the winning bidder in its second sale of non-performing loans – and the purchaser is a name that’s becoming commonplace in deals of this type. Click here for all the details.

Trending Thursday: Mortgage apps, cash sales down but home sales up? Huh?

So home sales are up while mortgage applications and cash sales are down? Hmmm. Also, a deeper look at California housing, more legal woes for the Treasury over the conservatorship, another victory for Ocwen, and what's up with Bluerock Residential Growth REIT? Read on.

RealtyTrac: Foreclosure filings up 7% in July

There was a total of 124,910 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings — default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — in July, up 7% from the previous month. RealtyTrac vice president explains why.

Freddie Mac: Mortgage rates barely nudge, stay below 4%

Although mortgage rates barely moved from last week due to little movement in the financial market, they still came in below 4%.

California cool: Home sales drop 4% despite price plateau

California single-family home and condominium sales fell 4% to 41,143 in July from 42,872 in June but were up 10.6% from 37,196 in July 2014. But sales were still up year over year. Here's how it worked out.

Existing home sales rise for third month in a row

Existing home sales steadily increased for the third consecutive month in July, while stubbornly low inventory levels and rising prices are likely to blame for sales to first-time buyers falling to their lowest share since January.

Kentucky town becomes first since Detroit to declare bankruptcy

A small Kentucky town is about to join a rather unfortunate club by becoming one of the few municipalities to file for bankruptcy protection. According to a Bloomberg report, Hillview, Kentucky filed for bankruptcy this week, becoming the first municipality to file for bankruptcy since Detroit famously did in 2013.

Bank of NY Mellon sued for over $2B in soured mortgages

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation sued the Bank of New York Mellon on Wednesday for more than $2 billion in mortgage-backed securities purchased by a failed Texas bank.

Mortgage lender Finance of America partners with Mike Ferry

Finance of America Mortgage, which boasts the backing of The Blackstone Group and recently splashed on the scene with a number of high-profile lender acquisitions, announced an affiliation with well-known real estate coach Mike Ferry and the Mike Ferry Organization.

SoFi just became one of the country’s 30 largest banks

Thanks to a recent successful round of financing, online lender Social Finance, which recently expanded beyond its student loan refinancing products and moved into mortgage lending, is now one of the country’s 30 largest banks.

Community lenders warn CFPB on TRID ‘black hole’

The Community Home Lenders Association is calling on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to address a potential “black hole” for lenders that could arise when the new Know Before You Owe mortgage disclosure rule, also called the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures rule, takes effect on Oct. 3.

No one wants "Real Housewives" stars’ $100 home at auction

The waterfront home of Teresa and Joe Giudice, stars of the Bravo series “Real Housewives of New Jersey,” went with absolutely no bids despite an opening bid of only $100.

FOMC: Uncertainty remains in timing of raising interest rates

The debate around when interest rates will rise continues as the release of the Federal Open Market Committee’s July 28-29 meeting minutes sheds more light on the decision to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0% to 0.25%.

New technology for correspondent lenders

Using a single platform technology, specifically designed for the due diligence and acquisition of closed loans, eliminates the expense related to the customization, integration and maintenance of a multi-system/multi-vendor approach.

Dodd-Frank is killing America, one community bank at a time

Dodd-Frank may not have started the community bank hemorrhage, but it’s advent certainly induced hemophilia. The result? An acceleration in the decline of each and every American town without a "too big to fail" in its area.

FHFA releases future affordable housing goals for Fannie, Freddie

The Federal Housing Finance Agency revealed the official details of its final rule that establishes single-family and multifamily housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Here are the details for 2015 through 2017.

Mortgage applications rise 3.6% on refinance activity

A surge in refinancings and international concerns pushing down on interest rates helped boost mortgage application activity for the week. Here's what happened.

Rob Barber takes the reins as RealtyTrac’s new CEO

RealtyTrac, a provider of comprehensive housing data, welcomed a new chief executive officer this week, as Rob Barber took over for Jamie Moyle as CEO. Barber’s hiring was announced in late July, but he officially assumed the CEO role on Monday.

Let’s tap the brakes on this supposedly positive housing data

It’s been a very good week already for those who have a vested interest in reporting positive news regarding homebuilder confidence and housing starts, but these reports should be viewed as cautionary. There may be trouble lurking beneath these numbers.

FHA continues push for expanded credit access

Furthering a program that was initially announced in May of last year, the Federal Housing Administration announced the implementation of one of the key facets of its “Blueprint for Access,” which is designed to expand credit access to underserved borrowers. Click through for all the details.

Bove: Dodd-Frank the “worst piece of legislation in modern history”

Richard Bove, an equity research analyst at Rafferty Capital Markets, doesn’t mince words, saying his initial judgement of Dodd-Frank as the worst piece of legislation in history was wrong: It’s actually worse than that.

Construction’s mixed July performance misses expectations

Did a change in New York permits skew the July construction and permit data, and what does it mean for the Federal Reserve's plans on interest rates? Here's what analysts are saying.

Mortgage, realty and appraisal companies make Inc. 5000 list

The 2015 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies includes a number of firms in the housing and mortgage finance space. Here's a list of some of the top ones. Read on.

Fannie Mae offloads more credit risk to insurers

Seeking to further decrease the taxpayers’ liability, Fannie Mae announced Tuesday that it completed its third credit risk-sharing transaction as part of its Credit Insurance Risk Transfer program. Here are all the details of the latest deal.

You can now review every federal agency (even the CFPB) on Yelp

Thanks to a new agreement between the federal government and Yelp, anyone can now rate and post a review of any federal agency on the consumer review-driven website and app. The agencies can now claim their page on Yelp, read and respond to the unfiltered reviews, and even “incorporate that feedback” into improvements to its services.

The CEOs of Fannie and Freddie deserve a raise

Fannie Mae has returned $24.7 billion more than it received, and Freddie Mac has returned $25 billion more than it received. So Layton and Mayopoulos get $600,000 each for creating a $50 billion surplus, while the CEOs of GM and Ally made $9.5 million and $9 million when their companies still owed the government $32.1 billion. How does this make any sense?

Here's why housing will survive rising interest rates

While the timing of when interest rates will rise is still in question, according to one chief economist, the housing market will not be devastated by the impact.

Truck tonnage shows positive signs in July, reports ATA

Seasonally-adjusted (SA) for-hire truck tonnage in July was up 2.8 percent compared to June at 135.0 (2000=100) and marked its second-highest monthly reading ever, next to January’s 135.8.

MCS Valuations closing Utah office

MCS Valuations, a nationwide provider of appraisals, broker price opinions, and other valuation-related products to the financial services industry, announced Tuesday that it will be closing Utah office and consolidating its operations into several of its other locations.

A few more words about the strength of the truckload brokerage market

Truckload brokerage services are in high demand by shippers, and this comes at a time in which diesel prices have been dropping for more than two months, coupled with available truckload capacity looser than it was a year ago at this time a year ago.

Ginnie Mae just had its biggest month ever

Lest anyone think that the government’s position in housing isn’t more than firmly entrenched, Ginnie Mae announced last week that in July it set a record for mortgage-backed security issuance. Here are all the details.

House for sale because "neighbor's a douchebag"

A frustrated homeowner in a row with a neighbor has a unique strategy for dealing with his woes. Whether it sells the home is questionable, but it certainly is getting attention.

Wunderlich adds Rob Smialek as SVP of fixed income capital markets

According to a release from the company, Smialek will help lead growth in mortgage-backed security sales and whole loan trading with a focus on the U.S. residential mortgage banking community, banks, and credit unions.

Rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed for week ending August 8, reports AAR

Carloads were down 4.4 percent annually at 288,460 and were below the week ending August 1 at 289,657 and ahead of the week ending July 25 at 286,660.

RealtyTrac: Loan applications up 23% in 2Q from 2Q14

A total of 1,950,267 loans were originated on single-family homes and condos in the second quarter, up 22% from the previous quarter and up 23% from a year ago to the highest level since the third quarter of 2013. So while things are slowing, it's better than last year. Here's what's happening.

CrossCheck Compliance welcomes Liza Warner back as managing director

CrossCheck Compliance, a nationwide consulting firm providing internal audit, regulatory compliance, fair lending, and loan review services exclusively to organizations in the financial services industry, announced the addition of Liza Warner as managing director.

Wells Fargo mortgage leader Michael Heid retiring

Wells Fargo, the country’s largest mortgage lender, is about to have a new person leading its mortgage division for the first time in 11 years, as Michael Heid announced his retirement. He will be replaced by a familiar face, Franklin Codel, currently the bank’s executive vice president and head of mortgage production.

CoesterVMS, loanDepot among Inc.’s 5000 fastest growing firms

CoesterVMS is one of the housing-related companies that made Inc.’s 500/5000 list, for the second year in a row. Want to see who else in the industry made the cut?

Ex-CFPB Deputy Director Antonakes resurfaces with Eastern Bank

Steven Antonakes, who resigned last month from his position as the deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has found his next role, and it’s one in which he should be able to utilize his experience and expertise — chief compliance officer.

Police suspect rape attacker targeted another Realtor

Police in Manatee County, Florida, arrested the suspect in an attempted rape of a Realtor at a home showing on Monday. Now they think he may have targeted a second Realtor that same day. Read on.

NAMB endorses Mortgage Fairness Act of 2015

It's a bill that would allow low- and moderate-income consumers and homebuyers some flexibility in the loan they choose to buy a home in order to have better cash flow at the time of closing. Is it a good idea? NAMB thinks so.

Mortgage applications land flat for week

Mortgage applications increased 0.1% from one week earlier, with the bump in refinancings unable to pull the drop in purchase apps much into the black. Here's what happened.

Ex-NFL star and his 74-year-old mother convicted of mortgage fraud

Irving Fryar, who spent 16 years in the National Football League, starring for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles during his career, was found guilty last week along with his 74-year-old mother of conspiracy and theft of deception.

Altisource Residential triples rental portfolio in massive deal with Invitation Homes

More than 1,300 single-family rental homes in the Atlanta area will soon have a new owner, as Altisource Residential announced its intentions to purchase a massive portfolio of rental houses from Invitation Homes. Here are the details.

Trulia: Where schools matter and where they don’t in homebuying

Either schools are of critical importance to a homebuyer, or they matter not at all. There’s very little middle ground because either homebuyers have kids or they don’t. Here's what Trulia found.

Fitch: U.S. housing demand pendulum swinging back to city centers

Amid stabilizing U.S. home price growth lies a demographic shift that is underway across much of the country, according to Fitch Ratings in its latest quarterly U.S. RMBS Sustainable Home Price Report. So are the suburbs out and the inner city in? Questionable.

Survey: 52% of Americans likely to buy a home in next five years

Just over half of Americans — 52% — say they are likely to buy a home in the next five years, and three quarters of current homeowners set a budget before looking for a new home. Want to know more?

Judge: Trade secrets theft claim against Zillow can proceed

A California federal judge dismissed two of the claims in the ongoing lawsuit between Top Agent Network and Zillow, but let stand the main trade secrets claim that is the linchpin of the lawsuit.

Gap between appraiser, homeowner perceptions doubles in July

Appraiser opinions of home values were 2.33% lower than homeowner estimates in July, nearly double what they were just a month earlier. Someone's not being realistic.

Is Facebook going to be the new FICO in mortgage lending?

Well, Facebook has pioneered social media, intrusive data collection, selling user data to third parties, potentially illegal psychological testing on humans, and the push for amnesty for illegal aliens. So why not jump into mortgages?

Study: CFPB plan to regulate arbitration will hurt borrowers

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau intends to aggressively regulate arbitration agreements in mortgage and other consumer credit contracts, and a new study says it’s a terrible idea based on the CFPB’s own findings.

United Wholesale Mortgage speeds up mortgage closing times

United Wholesale Mortgage released its latest tool, UClose, which will allow mortgage brokers to close their loans within an hour of receiving their clear to close.

Realtor escapes rapist posing as homebuyer

A man posing as a client attacked and tried to rape a Realtor while showing a home, but her quick thinking and training allowed her to escape. Here's how the terrifying ordeal went down.

CoreLogic: 43,000 foreclosures complete in June 2015

The national foreclosure inventory declined by 28.9% and completed foreclosures declined by 14.8% since June 2014, according to the June report from CoreLogic. Are things on track or are we between waves?

TransUnion: Credit unions go big in mortgage originations

The appetite for credit unions to provide mortgage loans appears to be greater than other financial institutions in both prime and subprime originations.

Altisource hires two new senior leadership roles

Altisource Portfolio Solutions, a provider of mortgage, financial and technology services, hired Riccardo Brizzi as chief client officer and Kirk Willison as senior vice president of government and industry relations.

TRID pushes Wells Fargo out of home equity loans

Wells Fargo stopped offering closed-end home equity loans due to the upcoming TRID rule taking effect on Oct. 3. But, right as Wells Fargo decides to exit the home equity loan business, one nonbank is excited to announce its latest venture.

HUD settles with two Texas lenders over mortgage violations

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Mortgagee Review Board settled with two Texas lenders due to allegations they violated mortgage regulations, with HUD fines totalling nearly $400,000.

CompassPoint: PennyMac a rare servicing growth story

Compass Point Research & Trading is positive on PennyMac Financial Services raising their price target to $23 from $21 following the company’s release of its second quarter earnings.

Blackstone mortgage venture set to become largest nonbank lender?

Finance of America Holdings, a Blackstone portfolio company, revealed that it snatched up several major lenders, potentially placing it as one of the nation’s largest nonbank mortgage originators. But, the company won't stop there.

Auction.com warns on slow existing July home sales

The last half of July did not match the first half, and that means a big change in what Auction.com was expecting for existing home sales. Their forecast is the earliest one out of the gate, so it could spell big trouble. Read on.

loanDepot expansion plans now include home equity loans

loanDepot is once again making waves in the industry. After breaking the news that it was moving into personal loans earlier this year, this latest move from the nonbank creates an even larger and more diversified suite of products for the company.

California wildfires put more than 900 homes at risk

Almost 930 homes in Northern California are at some degree of serious risk from the Rocky Wildfire, representing a reconstruction cost of more than $221 million. How does that break out? Here's how.

MGIC: Mortgage delinquencies slowly trend lower

Primary new insurance for July remained level at $4.5 billion. July started with 66,357 loans in its primary delinquent inventory, and while small, the downward trend in delinquencies at the end of the month did continue.

Can this sickly housing recovery survive without artificially low interest rates?

The housing recovery, like the economy in general, has been like the proverbial 98-pound weakling. Will an interest rate hike be the bully that kicks sand in his face?

Walter Investment Management posts 2Q loss of $12.9M

Despite the loss in the quarter, Walter Investment Management is digging itself out of hole, and saw strong gains in servicing even as it saw a decline in originations. The company beat expectations on earnings per share. Want to know more?

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: CoreLogic’s purchase of LandSafe confirmed

What was a confirmed rumor is now confirmed fact: CoreLogic is the proud new owner (as soon as it closes) of LandSafe. Plus, the outlook for investing in MBS, what to expect when you’re expecting a rate hike, and more.

4 misconceptions buyers have about down payments

When consumers begin to consider homeownership, they often get stuck at the down payment. However, many buyers, especially first-timers, subscribe to some untruths about down payments and it may be keeping them on the sidelines for much longer than needed. Here is the truth.

Court to CFPB: Freeze that $109.2M penalty for PHH Mortgage

A D.C. Circuit panel has issued a stay against a $109.2 million fine levied against PHH Corp. by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's director, Richard Cordray. So the CFPB's "final ruling" may not be so final. Read on.

Sen. Carper rings the bell for raising the federal gasoline tax

Senator Tom Carper has introduced a bill call the TRAFFIC Relief Act, which pledges to raise U.S. gasoline and diesel taxes (that have remained at current levels of 23.4 cents for diesel and 18.4 cents for gasoline since 1993), as well as expand tax credits, too.

Consumers don’t think it’s the right time to buy

The percentage of consumers who believe it is a good time to buy dropped to an all-time survey low right as summer is about to come to a close. What's stopping them from jumping in, and should the industry be concerned?

4 Misconceptions buyers have about down payments

When consumers begin to consider homeownership, they often get stuck at the down payment. However, many buyers, especially first-timers, subscribe to some untruths about down payments and it may be keeping them on the sidelines for much longer than needed. Here is the truth.

Watch these comical banking intern exit interviews

From the same bank that brought you great hits like the President’s Day video, Central National Bank is at it again, this time filming its intern exit videos. Is this what your interns are like?

3 Takeaways from the TRID trenches

The regional nature of the settlement process is partly why settlement has not evolved into a more standardized practice. As settlement professionals adjust to TRID, many are finding and implementing new best practices from across the country. The result is a subtle evolution toward more alignment in settlement processes.

Bank of America selling $1.2B in delinquent home loans

Investors are hungry for delinquent home loans, a growing demand that Bank of America is ready to meet. The mega bank is selling $1.2 billion of mostly delinquent home loans. Who will get to call dibs?

Beverly Hills home goes on sale for $29 Million

A roughly 12,000-square-foot house that has a movie theater and a bulletproof safe room is going on sale in Beverly Hills for $29 million. Not exactly a record high, but it’s fully loaded and just pure gorgeous. Take a look.

The Wrap: Appraisal volume down in last week of July

The national appraisal volume dropped in the last week of July, which could be expected given the volume of mortgage applications being down. This plus other appraisal news ahead.

Mortgage firm owner pleads guilty to $64M mortgage fraud scheme

A Miami-area real estate developer and owner of a mortgage company, his business partner and a senior mortgage underwriter each pleaded guilty to a mortgage fraud scheme involving federally insured mortgages that caused losses of $64 million to the Federal Housing Administration. You know you want to know more.

July employment report misses analyst expectations

The July employment report came in below the expected 225,000 print at 215,000, down from the upward revised June 231,000 number, and down from the 260,000 number in May. Will it be enough to support an interest rate hike?

The production challenges beyond TRID

If the mortgage industry is serious about addressing the longer closing times created by TRID, not to mention attracting millennials as potential homebuyers and/or employees, it has got to get with the times. And the times? They are digital.

Sources say Bank of America sold LandSafe to CoreLogic

Bank of America sold its appraisal management company LandSafe to CoreLogic for $70 million, according to industry sources. This answers industry speculation about a sale that first broke out in May.

Fed Gov. Powell: Nothing is decided with interest rates

The jury is still out on when the Federal Reserve will raise rates, and according to Fed Governor Jerome Powell, nothing has been decided, including where he stands on the issue.

Mortgage fraud sentencing for New Jersey family

A New Jersey family was sentenced in a $2 million scam that involved mortgage fraud, theft by deception and money laundering.

MBA: Mortgage credit availability recovers after June’s drop

Mortgage credit availability recovered in July after stalling last month, according to the latest index. The following charts show how the four component indices fared.

Court issues stay in PHH's $109.2M CFPB penalty

A D.C. Circuit panel has issued a stay against a $109.2 million fine levied against PHH Corp. by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's director, Richard Cordray. So the CFPB's "final ruling" may not be so final. Read on.

Higher rates boost Annaly’s earnings

Annaly Capital Management posted a second-quarter GAAP net income of $900.1 million, or $0.93 per average common share. Annaly’s CEO noted that this is a strong reminder of the positive impacts higher rates can have on earnings.

Stonegate origination volume increases 21% in second quarter

It was a strong quarter for Stonegate Mortgage Corporation. The lender’s mortgage loan origination volume increased 21% to $3.44 billion during the second quarter of 2015.

Trending Thursday: Will the jobs report be a blow to housing, rate hikes?

What happens if tomorrow's job report tanks as badly as the coming Fantastic Four movie reboot will? And how much is Treasury going to keep siphoning off GSE profits like a loan shark? For this and more, read on.

Distressed sales accounted for 10% of homes sold nationally in May

Distressed sales — real estate-owned and short sales — accounted for 9.9% of total home sales nationally in May 2015, down 2.8 percentage points from May 2014 and down 1.7 percentage points from April 2015.

Mortgage rates move down for third week

Average fixed mortgage rates moved down for the third week in a row as uncertainty about the economy pushed Treasury yields lower earlier in the week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday morning.

Fannie Mae’s net income jumps to $4.6B in 2Q

Fannie Mae reported net income of $4.6 billion for the second quarter of 2015 and comprehensive income of $4.4 billion, boosted by an increase in both home sales and interest rates. Want to know more?

RealtyTrac: Is flipping a flop?

A total of 30,013 single family homes were flipped — sold as part of an arms-length sale for the second time within a 12-month period — in the second quarter, accounting for 4.5% of all single-family home sales during the quarter, according to RealtyTrac’s Q2 2015 U.S. Home Flipping Report.

PHH posts big loss in 2Q

PHH Corp. went deep into the red in the second quarter. The loss was driven primarily by PHH setting aside a $34 million pre-tax provision for legal and regulatory reserves.

Shifting risk and meeting in the middle could serve as key to shipper-3PL relations

A white paper takes a deep dive into exploring the dynamics of shipper-3PL relationships, with an eye on limiting the "commoditization" of 3PL services.

Impac Mortgage’s profits rebound from last year’s low

Impac Mortgage Holdings significantly rebounded from a year ago, reporting second-quarter net earnings of $16.8 million, or $1.33 per diluted common share, compared to net earnings of $82 thousand or $0.01 per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2014.

50 Cent’s home holds a history of bankrupt owners

Court documents from the bankruptcy file of Curtis Jackson, also known as the rapper 50 Cent, show that he was spending $72,000 a month to maintain his home. And it turns out Jackson isn't the only person who has lived in that house who has filed for bankruptcy.

Fed watchdog: CFPB headquarters' renovation costs “reasonable”

An audit released on Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Inspector General regarding the controversial cost of renovating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new headquarters says that “construction costs are reasonable” and that controls for oversight are designed appropriately. Not everyone agrees.

Lender pleads guilty in $12.7M warehouse lending scheme

The former owner of an Orange County, California mortgage lending company pleaded guilty to bank fraud in U.S. District Court in Louisville, Kentucky in a warehouse lending fraud.

Fannie Mae Collateral Underwriter version 3.0 out soon

After some lender feedback, Fannie Mae has updated Collateral Underwriter and is releasing CU version 3.0 during the weekend of Sept. 26 to better fit user needs.

Walker & Dunlop loan origination volume soars 45%

It was another successful quarter for Walker & Dunlop. The company posted a second quarter 2015 net income of $20.2 million, a 56% increase from second quarter 2014 net income of $12.9 million.

Zillow planning to take lead in online transaction revolution

Are we entering the era of the paperless real estate transaction? Zillow thinks so, and it wants to take the lead in revolutionizing real estate transactions by taking the entire home-buying process online.

JPMorgan meets market demand, lowers jumbo requirements

Chase changed the requirements on its jumbo loan products to better match its peers in the market. Is the market getting hungrier for jumbo mortgages?

SEC passes CEO Pay Ratio Rule on 3-2 partisan vote

A new federal rule first passed under the Dodd-Frank Act will require public companies to list their chief executives' total annual compensation as a ratio to their workers' median pay. Hooray, regulations?

July’s employment report looks ugly

Friday's employment report will be a flop, based on ADP's estimate for private payrolls, which it sees rising only 185,000. Worried?

What’s the over/under on an interest rate hike by the end of 2015?

The upward trend in mortgage interest rates seems to be holding back mortgage applications over the long haul, even as mortgage applications came in stronger this week. The question is, will this put pressure on the Federal Reserve to put the kibosh on an interest rate hike? Want to make it interesting?

Mortgage applications jump a solid 4.7% in last week of July

Mortgage applications increased 4.7% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending July 31, 2015. Want to know why?

PHH posts big loss in wake of fight over $109M CFPB fine

A drawn-out legal fight over a $109 million fine from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau drove PHH Corp. deep into the red in the second quarter. The loss was driven primarily by PHH setting aside a $34 million pre-tax provision for legal and regulatory reserves.

Say goodbye to Green Tree; company merging with Ditech

Unbeknownst to most of the industry, Green Tree Servicing is in the last few weeks of its existence, but the company is not closing. Green Tree’s parent company, Walter Investment Management Corp., is merging Green Tree with another of Walter Investment’s well-known subsidiaries, Ditech Mortgage Corp.

B2R Finance adds Brad Weber as chief accounting officer

In this role, Weber will lead the accounting, reporting and control functions, as well as human resources and regulatory compliance. Weber will also be a member of the executive committee, which is comprised of the company’s senior-most leadership team.

Zillow Group beats 2Q estimates, revenue climbs 20%

It was a profitable second quarter for the recently created Zillow Group, with the online real estate company reporting that its revenue increased 20% to $171.3 million. A couple of major acquisitions and some executive level changes give the online real estate company a lot to boast about.

MERS wins big once more in Federal Court of Appeals

For the third time in the last few weeks, MERSCORP Holdings secured a victory in a Federal Court of Appeals, which upheld MERS’ mortgage assignment rights. This time, a Pennsylvania county recorder sued MERS, arguing that MERS owed the county million of dollars in unpaid recording fees stemming from the transfer of promissory notes as mortgage assignments.

Compass Point: Expect things to get worse for Ocwen

As it turns out, there may not be a light at the end of the tunnel for Ocwen Financial, which saw its stock price take a beating last week in the wake of seeing its income from operations in the second quarter fall nearly $100 million from last year. Compass Point analysts weigh in.

Here’s why the Texas housing market is on fire despite oil price declines

The Texas housing market is on fire, with home prices skyrocketing to an all-time high in the second quarter of 2015. Included are charts on the top four hottest housing markets in the state.

Auction.com hosts largest online real estate sale in history

Auction.com just announced the largest transaction in its 8-year history and largest online real estate transaction ever: The $96.075 million sale of Manhattan Towers, a two-building, 309,734-square-foot office property in Manhattan Beach, Calif., a premier coastal community within Los Angeles.

NAFCU posts its regulatory relief “top 10” wish list

The director of regulatory affairs for the National Association of Federal Credit Unions has sent a letter to the National Credit Union Administration urging the agency to undertake promised and much needed regulatory relief. The post-Dodd-Frank world ain't easy. Read on.

CoreLogic: Home prices rose an amazing 6.5% annually in June

Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased by 6.5% in June 2015 compared with June 2014, according to the June 2015 CoreLogic Home Price Index. The leading markets look pretty hot. Too hot? (Go Dallas-Plano-Irving!)

Proposed FedEx acquisition of TNT faces potential European Commission roadblock

The current status of FedEx’ planned acquisition of Netherlands-based TNT-NV and a provider of mail and courier services and the fourth largest global parcel operator for $4.8 billion, which was initially announced in April, remains in flux, with continued actions being taken by the European Commission.

J.G. Wentworth completes transition into mortgage lender

In March, J.G. Wentworth, the purchaser of structured settlement payments, annuity payments, lottery payments and other receivables that rose to fame with the “It’s my money and I want it now” advertising campaign, announced its intention to acquire WestStar Mortgage. That acquisition is now complete.

Ocwen tanks in wake of poor second quarter results

After seeing its income from operations in the second quarter fall nearly $100 million from last year and despite the company’s CEO saying that the company “made positive strides on many fronts in the second quarter,” Ocwen Financial is taking a beating on the stock market on Friday. So what's causing Ocwen's drop?

New study details impact of foreclosures on communities

A new paper published in the journal Housing Policy Debate points to the role of mortgage servicers as a critical factor in whether or not a neighborhood or community experiences the negative effects commonly associated with foreclosure sales. Are they onto something?

This is why millennials need a new credit scoring system

Are Millennials interested in obtaining credit after witnessing their families struggle as a result of the recent recession? ID Analytics conducted a study on their credit scores to figure out where they stand. The answer may surprise you.

The Wrap: Appraisals down alongside mortgage apps

Is the “home prices at all-time high” thing hype or hope, as appraisers see it? And why are Llano Financing Group and Carrington Capital Management suing so many appraisers? Plus, will homeowners and appraisers ever see eye-to-eye? Read on.

Hot Seat: Jack Nunnery, EVP at Texas Capital Bank

The specific needs of correspondent lending divisions often get overlooked in the development of mortgage technology solutions. Texas Capital Bank is looking to change that formula with a new correspondent line and platform to forge stronger ties between correspondent sellers and investors in the process.

Company Spotlight: Superior Home Services

Superior Home Services has specialized in FHA default servicing since the company was founded in 1984. This focus has fueled the company’s drive to innovate in providing hazard insurance recovery services, and has resulted in a unique FHA default solution that remediates properties in light of HUD conveyance standards.

Meet our incredible 2015 Women of Influence

The only downside to a program like this is the difficulty in choosing winners. The field grows more competitive every year, with more nominations from a much broader field. This is a cause for celebration in and of itself, but one that presents a real challenge for our editorial staff. Our solution was to increase the number of winners from 30 to 40; we simply had too many incredible candidates to do less.

The CFPB’s appalling double standard

For months the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was adamant that despite repeated pleas that the mortgage finance industry would not be ready for the Aug. 1 effective date for the onerous TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule, that it was a hard deadline.

Interview: Mat Ishbia, CEO of United Shore Financial Services

But how many of us can reach out and touch our dream, and then decide to go another way? How many have the guts and strength to take a leap into the unknown, and then once we find solid footing in the unknown, how many of us have what it takes to not only survive but to thrive? Mat Ishbia is one of those people.

How mobile technology is changing the game for property preservation

Investors today crave certainty, the kind that results from lots and lots of data points. To provide that degree of assurance, field service providers have taken data collection to a whole new level. Just in the last 12 months, the explosion of available real-time data is driving a new model of field servicing that would have been unrecognizable in the past.

Meeting the biggest challenges in field servicing

The biggest challenge in field services is the ever-changing regulatory environment and scrutiny the mortgage servicing industry is under, according to this Q&A with Alan Jaffa, CEO of Safeguard Properties. But that's just the beginning.

$2 billion Ginnie Mae bulk MSR portfolio hits market

Mortgage servicers seeking to get their hands on some Ginnie Mae servicing now have that opportunity, thanks to a nearly $2 billion mortgage servicing rights portfolio that’s now available for sale. Here are all the pertinent details.

Here's where Millennials stand with credit scores

Millennials are not as savvy as their predecessors when it comes to their finances and credit management. However, this same generation also wields a lot of potential to improve their credit for the future.

Ellie Mae revenue surges 65%

Ellie Mae marked another strong quarter on its books, with its second-quarter revenue surging to $65.9 million, up 65% from $40 million for the same period a year ago.

Ocwen’s profits fall sharply in second quarter

After returning to profitability in the first quarter, reversing a trend that saw it lose $546 million in 2014, Ocwen Financial reported Thursday that it also made a profit in the second quarter – albeit a much smaller one. Here are all the details.

Hipsters hate housing, yet help it, one beard at a time

Take away their pile of student debt and lack of interest in housing, and hipsters are still contributing to society and helping other industries. In fact, the bike, beer and beard industries love the hipster movement.

CFPB to mortgage industry: Get out of MSAs

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants mortgage lenders to stop using marketing services agreements, and it’s using the stick rather than the rules process to do so. The industry says no fair, that's regulation by enforcement. What do you think?

Regulatory uncertainty, toxic environment drive Wells Fargo, Prospect out of MSAs

Two major players in the mortgage space are discontinuing marketing activities that depend on Marketing Services Agreements because of regulatory uncertainty, recent interpretations of RESPA, and a generally toxic environment because of inconsistent CFPB enforcement. And more are rumored to be dropping MSAs, too. Here's why.

CFPB fines Residential Credit Solutions $1.5 million for illegal mortgage servicing

According to the CFPB, Residential Credit Solutions failed to honor modifications for loans transferred from other servicers, treated consumers as if they were in default when they weren’t, sent consumers escrow statements falsely claiming they were due a refund, and forced consumers to waive their rights in order to get a repayment plan.

LRES names new senior VP of sales

LRES hired Nick Grant as senior vice president of sales, where he is responsible for managing LRES’ sales and business development operations, building customer relationships and growing new relationships with mortgage lenders and servicers.

House Committee approves slate of mortgage, housing reforms

The Financial Services Committee approved a slate of bipartisan bills directly impacting the mortgage and housing finance space Wednesday. How could it affect you? Here’s everything on the docket.

Trending Thursday: Is the job description “financial press” or “palace guard?”

A lot of people are suggesting that many of the mainstays in the financial press aren’t asking the right questions in coverage — from the Fed to FannieGate. Truth, or trolls? Plus credit conditions and the impact of regulations on mortgage banking. Read on, brave soul.

Freddie Mac: Mortgage rates fluctuate around 4%

Mortgage rates moved lower once again, falling just enough to slip under 4%. Rates continue to fluctuate as events change overseas and the Fed still gives no signs of when interest rates will rise.

Servicer focus on mortgage delinquencies severely impacts current borrowers

Despite the percentage of loans in delinquency dropping to less than 5% of all loans in June, mortgage servicers are still paying an inordinate amount of attention to delinquent borrowers, severely impacting the servicers’ overall customer experience, a new report shows. Here's what servicers can do to fix it.

Freddie completes $591 million sale of non-performing loans

Freddie Mac completed the sale of $591 million in deeply delinquent non-performing loans that it announced back at the beginning of July. Details of the sale included inside.

Rick Perry: Clinton policies caused housing crisis

In a speech last week in New York, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry positioned himself, surprisingly, as a populist ready to take on Wall Street, laid the blame of the housing crisis on the “destructive homeownership policies” of the Clinton administration, and warned that the next crisis is coming.

Bicyclist killed while raising money for affordable housing

A man died after being hit by a car in Western Oklahoma while he was bicycling across America to raise money for affordable housing. Wanninkhof was part of the group Bike & Build, which raises awareness for affordable housing.

Fidelity National increases ownership stake in ServiceLink to 79%

Fidelity National Financial (FNF) announced Friday that it increased its ownership stake in ServiceLink Holdings from 65% to 79% as part of a recapitalization of ServiceLink, a provider of transaction services to the mortgage and finance industries.