For May, mortgage credit availability experienced an increase, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report that analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs Market Clarity business information tool. According to the index, the MCAI increased 0.5 percent to 122.6 in May.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) filed a complaint in federal district court against RPM Mortgage, Inc. and its CEO, Erwin Robert Hirt, for illegally paying loan originators bonuses and higher commissions to encourage them to draw consumers toward higher mortgages, according to a recent press release. The CFPB also filed a proposal that would require RPM to pay $18 million to consumers and a $1 million civil penalty.

Churchill Mortgage recently announced the new hiring of 15 industry professionals across its California, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia branches. The company’s latest additions are an effort to be prepared for National Homeownership Month in June and to support continued growth through the summer months.

Mid America Mortgage, Inc. (Mid America) owner and CEO Jeff Bode announced in a recent press release that the lender has hired David Tracy, former Fannie Mae underwriting consultant as its national underwriting manager. Tracy has over 20 years of residential and commercial mortgage experience and will be responsible for revitalizing Mid America’s underwriting operations nationwide.

The CEO of Invictus Capital Partners, Michael W. Warden, recently announced that Carl D. Bell, CFA, has been hired at the firm as a managing director and co-head of investments. Invictus is an employee-owned institutional alternative asset manager founded in 2008 that focuses on opportunistic credit strategies.

In an Investopedia.com report, author Dan Moskowitz documented the top five real estate investment trusts (REITs) that will persevere consumers’ capital investments. He also cautions to steer clear of trusts that do not have investor’s best interest of growing their capital at the forefront of their priorities.

CoStar, a research organization, reported that single family rental (SFR) property acquisition is geographically shifting as home prices stabilize and credit conditions ease. Investors have also become more selective in which properties to buy and are more focused on managing their properties, collecting rents, and improving operations.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a warning to consumers today about the misleading effects of reverse mortgage advertisements. The Bureau released results of a focus group study on reverse mortgage advertisements and found that many participants were left confused about the product. The study found that after viewing the ads, consumers did not understand that reverse mortgages were actual loans. Instead, they were left under the false impression that reverse mortgages are government-issued program that would help consumers stay in their home for the rest of their lives.

Global property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider CoreLogic, Inc. recently released its 2015 Storm Surge Analysis which found that more than 6.6 million homes on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk of hurricane storm surge damage. The total reconstruction cost value (RCV) is nearly $1.5 trillion for the storm surge damages.

In the wake of the recent storm disaster that swept through Texas and Oklahoma in late May, Freddie Mac, one of the largest investors in residential mortgages, announced today in a press release that it will provide disaster relief polices for eligible residents. These policies are being offered to homeowners whose home were damaged or destroyed due to the incessant storms that affected these areas.