News

loanDepot.com LLC, one of the country's largest independent mortgage lenders, announced it is holding a job fair and open house at its corporate headquarters in Foothill Ranch, California. The fair, scheduled for Wednesday, December 19 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., is open to all mortgage and other professionals wanting to learn about career opportunities at loanDepot.

Prudential Mortgage Capital Company announced David Durning will replace the outgoing David Twardock as company president in 2013. Durning is currently senior managing director and head of originations for the firm. He joined Prudential in 1988 as an investment analyst and has stayed with the company ever since.

The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) announced Monday it has filed suit against JPMorgan Securities and Bear Stearns over allegations of falsely representing the quality of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) sold to corporate credit unions. NCUA's complaint alleges that although Bear Stearns' offering documents described the firm's adherence to underwriting guidelines, the originators had in fact "systematically abandoned the stated underwriting guidelines in the Offering Documents."

Even as the market heads into its slow season, sales numbers continued to stand well above their year-ago level in November, according to RE/MAX's latest National Housing Report. The report shows home sales were up 15.7 percent year-over-year in November, the second highest annual increase this year. Prices also rose: The median price for homes sold in November was $163,750, 3.6 percent higher than October and 6.9 percent higher than November 2011. November is the 10th straight month to experience year-over-year price gains.

In Houston, Texas, Southwest Securities, Inc., has added a new senior leader for the firm's taxable fixed income unit. Appointing Bob Anderson as an SVP, Southwest Securities hopes to utilize the housing finance industry veteran's extensive experience to enhance its institutional sales operations.

Builder confidence continued to improve in December as the Housing Market Index (HMI) rose two points to 47--its highest level since April 2006--the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported Tuesday. It was the eighth straight monthly increase in the index and matched economist expectations. Two of the three components of the index improved--the measures of current sales and buyer traffic--while the gauge of sales six months out slipped one point from the revised November reading of 52 (down from the original 53).

U.S. banks may have received an extension on their deadline to implement Basel III regulations, but that isn't stopping the global community from introducing reforms at the start of 2013. While a handful of jurisdictions--including the European Union, Korea, Russia, and the United States--are only in the draft stage, the majority of jurisdictions have published the final set of rules to go into effect January 1. While certain members may be getting more time to create finalized rules, the larger implementation timeline will not be shifted.

In Los Angeles, California, the Pacific Palisades home once belonging to the nation's fortieth president, Ronald Reagan, has hit the market for $4.999 million. Built in 1956, the property's environmentally-friendly design may be its most famous feature, as the luxurious estate has long been lauded as a forerunner of contemporary green housing concepts.

The American Legal and Financial Network (ALFN) is expanding its leadership lineup. Adding a new executive position and naming two new appointees, the national mortgage banking trade group announced Christina Danovsky's promotion to SVP of business development, as well as the hiring of Cade Holleman to the recently-created role of assistant VP of government affairs and communications.

With fluctuations in rental and owner markets over the past few years, it can be difficult to determine whether one is better off renting or owning. In Manhattan, renting is currently the more financially viable option, according to a new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.