Origination

Fewer homebuyers signed contracts for home purchases over July, casting the housing recovery as one still in flux for pending home sales. The National Association of Realtors released an index Monday that found signed contracts falling off from June, with a 1.3-percent decline from 90.9 recorded that month. According to the index, overall signed contracts dipped to 89.7 in July, remaining 14.4 percent over a weak 78.4 recorded by the index for the same month last year. Regionally, only the West showed signs of health.

Overture Technologies, Inc., has been partially acquired by CompuGain Corporation and its mortgage division is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company. Overture, a software solutions company for the mortgage and educational finance industries, sold its mortgage component to CompuGain and will continue to operate as Overture Financial Solutions under the CompuGain banner.

Sperlonga Data and Analytics welcomes Brent Stokes as its choice for the company├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós newly created position of senior vice president. Stokes brings veteran experience earned over a 26-year career in the mortgage industry to his new role, which encompasses Sperlonga├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós homeowners association-oriented programs for lenders, investors, servicers, and other stakeholders.

The FDIC went after 34 banks for violations of federal law and agency requirements over July, slapping nearly 20 with civil fines, notifying some to correct recent decisions, and barring directors with two institutions to cease their involvement in executive decisions over allegations of personal and fiduciary misconduct. The majority of institutions felt the sting of civil money fines for various reasons. Also, no banks failed over the weekend, leading an FDIC spokesperson to conclude that the trend will continue over 2011.

Another week rolled by with more instances of mortgage fraud, as reported by several news outlets from around the country. Defendants alternately received indictments, pled guilty, and submitted to their sentences from courts as a result of allegations and convictions stemming from mortgage fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, and money-laundering activities. The alleged activities resulted in millions of dollars in fraudulently obtained money from lenders.

Big lenders are set to unload up to $5 billion in commercial mortgage bonds, with planned securities offerings scheduled in September and October. Participating financial institutions include Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo & Co., Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The upcoming bond sales are largely attributed to the effects of struggling U.S. employment numbers, the European debt crisis, and the resistance against debt.

Another acquisition for PSM Holdings, Inc. is in the works, with the company├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós announcement that it has established a letter of intent to purchase Iowa Mortgage Professionals, Inc. This is the third such move by PSMH.

As Hurricane Irene churned toward New England Thursday, public officials reacted by taking fast-acting measures to preserve lives and property, with President Barack Obama signing a declaration of emergency to free up federal assistance for North Carolina. With states as farther north as Massachusetts and New York bracing for whiplash from the storm, MReport speaks with real estate experts to forecast problems for sales, prices, and construction as a natural disaster looms.

Delivering highly anticipated remarks in Wyoming Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke promised no new stimulus measures, opting instead to offer an optimistic view of fundamental strength of the economy, coupled with a blistering critique of fiscal management by policymakers and an overview of the housing sector. In response to his speech, Treasury bonds rose, forcing a downward shift in yields and likely mortgage rates for next week, following continuing fiscal distress.

The Mortgage Bankers Association came out Thursday with a list that ranks commercial and multifamily mortgage servicers on the basis of their loan size, financial balance, and amount lent to borrowers midyear 2011. Wells Fargo achieved the number-one spot for both master servicing and commercial mortgage-backed securities. According to a statement, the MBA said that Wells Fargo, PNC Mortgage Real Estate, and Bank of America topped the master and primary servicing list for commercial and multifamily CMBS loans.