News

Following an independent review of its finances, FHA reported to Congress Monday that its Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund is valued at $4.8 billion for the fiscal year 2014, a step up from last year's shortfall of $1.3 billion.

Deloitte's Consumer Spending Index, a gauge of cash flow as a measure of future spending, came in at 4.1 in the firm's October reading, down from 4.4 in September. The biggest contribution to October's decline was new home prices, which fell 9.8 percent month-over-month to a median $109,000.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment registered 89.4 in a mid-month reading, the best showing since July 2007. Economists had forecast the measure would hit 87.5, with some predicting as high as 89.

As a result the recent integration, LRES' DirectConnect hub is now able to deliver collateral valuation reports to users of Bay Docs' Reverse Express loan origination system, offering customers full valuation lifecycle management.

TD Bank reported Monday the results of its inaugural Consumer Borrowing Index, a survey of more than 1,300 U.S. HELOC borrowers created to provide insights into their motivation, usage, and perceptions of the loan. According to the bank's survey, 53 percent of homeowners polled said the value of their home has increased in the past few years, giving them more equity to pull from.

In a poll conducted by the Collingwood Group throughout October, 71 percent of mortgage lenders said the odds of them lowering credit score requirements for borrowers are between "somewhat" and "extremely unlikely," with several saying they feel their standards are already relatively low and that they generally follow the credit parameters set by agency investors.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered California-based mortgage lender Franklin Loan Corporation to pay $730,000 in restitution for rewarding its employees with bonuses for suggesting loans with higher interest rates to borrowers.

Despite the fact that 30-year fixed mortgage rates dipped below 4 percent in October, the number of buyers looking to tour homes cooled off. At the same time, the rate drop triggered a hefty increase in signings last month, according to Redfin, which released its latest look at homebuying activity on Friday.

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.

FNC's Residential Price Index dropped 0.3 percent in September, despite strong home sales and continued improvement in the labor market. It was the first time in 30 months that values did not rise, though home prices in the third quarter overall were up 1.8 percent over the second quarter.