Assurant Specialty Property recently announced it acquired eMortgage Logic, LLC in an effort to expand its risk management offerings for the mortgage industry.
Read More »Small Servicers Feeling Heat from New Rules
While most larger servicing shops have made a great deal of progress ahead of Friday's new industry regulations, a report from Fitch finds smaller companies still have a number of challenges to meet. Fitch acknowledges that many independent and non-bank servicers have adapted to the technological advances made in the industry, but compliance with the new rules will mean more recordkeeping and infrastructure improvements that could mean higher costs for these smaller firms.
Read More »Watt Sworn In as FHFA Director
After months of contentious debate, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) finally has a new director.
Read More »SIGTARP Cracks Down on Another Mortgage Fraud Case
The Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) has had laser sharp focus on ensuring foreclosure fraud offenders suffer the consequences of their offenses. A northern California man is now behind bars after a SIGTARP investigation found he used the U.S. bankruptcy courts to con desperate homeowners into paying him monthly fees to postpone foreclosure proceedings. He was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release on fraud charges.
Read More »GSE Reaches Settlement with PNC
PNC and Freddie Mac announced an agreement to resolve substantially all indemnification and repurchase obligations related to loans sold to Freddie Mac between 2000 and 2008.
Read More »Increasing Housing Permits Indicate Stability
Growing amounts of housing permits, improving home prices, and positive job numbers are leading to a stabilized housing market according to analysts. Recent studies revealed that markets in 54 out of the approximately 350 metro areas nationwide returned to or exceeded their last normal levels of economic and housing activity, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/First American Leading Markets Index (LMI). However, policymakers still need to watch their footing.
Read More »FHFA Leaves Conforming Loan Limits Untouched
A recent guidance from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) reveals the agency's decision not to change the maximum loan limit for mortgages acquired by the GSEs in 2014.
Read More »Senate Banking Committee Approves Yellen Nomination for Fed Chair
The Senate Banking Committee has voted to approve Janet Yellen's nomination to chair the Federal Reserve, bringing Yellen one step closer to being the first woman to serve as head of the country's central bank.
Read More »Report: Recovery Suffering from ‘Broken’ Housing Policies
A new report published by the Opportunity Agenda, National Fair Housing Alliance, and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) claims that the U.S. housing policy is broken.
Read More »Report: Home Sale Speeds Accelerating Over 2012
Zillow calculated the median number of days listings spent on its marketplace, at the national, metro, and county levels, dating to January 2010. According to the company's findings, listings in September 2013 were selling in a median 86 days--down 30 days from the same time in 2012. Homes sold faster this September compared to last September in 30 of the largest metros. Those metros include Las Vegas (44 days faster), Sacramento (43 days faster), and San Antonio (37 days faster).
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