Headlines

Wells Fargo, the nation's top mortgage lender, had agreed to sell $39 billion worth of mortgage servicing rights to Atlanta-based Ocwen, the nation's largest non-bank mortgage servicer, early this year. In February 2014, the transaction was delayed indefinitely by Benjamin Lawsky, head of New York's Department of Financial Services.

According to data released Thursday by CoreLogic DataQuick, sales statewide—including all sales of single-family houses and condos—totaled 36,830 last month, up 1.4 percent from 36,316 in September. A year ago, sales in the Golden State came to 36,468, down 1.0 percent from the most recent data.

loanDepot, one of the nation's largest nonbank mortgage lenders, is set to acquire super-regional mortgage firm Mortgage Master in a deal expected to close early next year, the companies announced.

Freddie's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) coming in at an average interest rate of 4.01 percent (0.5 point) for the week ending November 13, just down from last week's average of 4.02 percent.

In a lawsuit filed earlier this week, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) charged Deutsche Bank National Trust Company with negligence in its role as trustee for 121 residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) trusts, leading to the collapse of five corporate credit unions.

Lewisville, Texas-based Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. has announced the hiring of Kal Raman, a leading technology executive, as CEO of the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Solutionstar.

The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) measured at a reading of 59 last quarter, up three points from Q2 and nine points from the same quarter last year. It was the highest third-quarter reading since the index was created in 2008, the group said.

Single-family home sales saw a modest uptick in Connecticut in September as prices trended downward for another month, according to a report from the New England-based Warren Group. Trends were also mixed for condominium properties.

The Federal Reserve's Labor Market Conditions Index (LMCI) rose 4 points last month, the central bank reported, matching September's revised improvement. The index covers 19 separate indicators, including the national unemployment rate, average hourly earnings, and the transition rate from unemployment to employment.

The new rule, which goes into effect on January 1, 2015, prohibits a financial company from combining with another company if the liabilities of the newly formed company between the two exceed 10 percent of aggregate consolidated liabilities of all financial companies.