For San Francisco-based Wells Fargo in Q1, revenues increased by 3 percent year-over-year up to $21.3 billion. Although net income slightly declined from the same quarter a year ago from $5.9 billion to $5.8 billion, noninterest income for the bank jumped by $29 million up to $10.3 billion. The bank received higher income in Q1 from trading activities, debt security gains, mortgage origination gains, and insurance, but the higher income was offset by lower income in mortgage servicing, which was at $108 million for Q1 compared to $235 million for Q4 2014. Wells Fargo posted mortgage banking noninterest income of $1.5 billion for Q1.
Read More »Lack of Equity to Blame for Low Existing Home Sales
According to Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American, the biggest takeaway is that the housing market, particularly the existing homes sector, is drastically underperforming. The impetus for this underperformance, he said, is an overall lack of buyer equity throughout the nation.
Read More »Treasury to Host Live Twitter Chat on Financial Literacy for Homeowners
“Get Financially Fit In and Around Your Home” rounds out National Financial Literacy Month with a discussion on what prospective homebuyers can learn and what existing homeowners can do to bring down expenses.
Read More »CFPB Issues Final Rule on Housing Counselor Requirement
Wednesday’s update spells out how lenders are to provide mortgage applicants with homeownership lists of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, homeownership counseling lists, the use of a consumer’s mailing address to provide the list, and high-cost mortgage counseling qualifications.
Read More »RIO Genesis Announces Partnerships With Two Real Estate Firms
California-based firms The Life Planning Companies and National Real Estate Solutions (NRES) have teamed with Henderson, Nevada-based RIO Genesis to take advantage of RIO's breakthrough technology platform, national real estate broker organization (the NRBA), and numerous RIO Genesis users, real estate brokers, and agents, according to an announcement from RIO Genesis CEO Michael Krein.
Read More »Data Showing Desired Outcomes Must Precede Monetary Policy Liftoff Decision, Atlanta Fed CEO Says
Lockhart said before a monetary policy liftoff decision is made, he would like to see data that the desired outcomes are being achieved – but he said support for a monetary policy liftoff decision will be a judgment call. But in the big overall economic picture, he said, strength in one aspect of the economy may offset ambiguity in another area.
Read More »Renters Aren’t Converting into Homebuyers, Report Shows
But these declining numbers are nothing new. The numbers of renters making the transition to homeownership has dropped consistently over the past couple of years, and rates have remained below 17 percent mark (the historical average) since 2008.
Read More »Goldman Sachs, Citigroup Report Strong First Quarters
Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein said he was pleased with the fact that “all of our major businesses contributed” to the strong first quarter. “Given more normalized markets and higher levels of client activity, we remain encouraged about the prospects for continued growth,” he said.
Read More »Manufactured Homes Bill Stirs Strong Emotions in Washington
Tuesday’s passage of proposed amendments to the Dodd-Frank Act in the House has reheated the debate over whether the changes really serve lower-income Americans who purchase manufactured homes or opens them up to predatory lenders on a large scale.
Read More »Housing Starts Show Modest Gains
Though the gains in starts and permits are modest‒‒not to mention multi-faceted‒‒the upturn is certainly more welcome news to industry pundits than the numbers that came from February. That month, the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that privately-owned housing starts had hit their lowest rate in years. Housing starts were down 17 percent from January and 3.3 percent below the February prior.
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