Secondary Market

Wingspan Portfolio Advisors, a diversified mortgage services company operating in Dallas, was named for the second straight year in Inc. Magazine's Hire Power Awards, a list of the top 100 businesses in America for job creation.

JPMorgan Chase announced it has come to agreements to close the book on claims surrounding mortgage-backed securities and rep and warranty repurchase claims from FHFA and the GSEs.

Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) president and CEO David Stevens took the stage at the group's 100th Annual Convention and Expo Monday morning, reflecting on the last century in housing and shining a spotlight on today's challenges. While he notes that the government's response to the economic crisis has seen its share of successes, he also says Washington needs to recognize and take responsibility for the shortcomings of its policies, a step he believes policymakers have been reluctant to take.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) started off its 100th Annual Convention Sunday with the election and swearing-in of its board of directors for the 2014 membership year.

September marked the third straight month of declining business for Freddie Mac, with purchases and issuances coming in at their lowest level in almost a year and a half. Freddie Mac's total mortgage portfolio shrank at an annualized rate of 4.3 percent in September, contracting at a slightly lessened pace compared to August's -5.0 percent growth rate. New business fell for the second straight month, with purchases and issuances totaling approximately $28.2 billion--the lowest since April 2012 ($25.9 billion).

Today's resilient capital market has the capacity to adapt readily to the pending ability-to-repay and qualified mortgage (QM) rules set to take effect January 10, 2014, according to a white paper CoreLogic released Friday. In its analysis, CoreLogic offers general support for the rules and suggests the industry will continue to prosper--albeit with more caution than in the years leading up to the housing crisis. "Making sure a borrower has the ability to repay is good business," the company said.

After hearing arguments for a month in a Manhattan federal court, a 10-person jury found Bank of American liable for one charge of fraud involving high-risk mortgages originated by Countrywide and then sold to the GSEs. Also found liable for fraud was Rebecca Mairone, who worked as COO for one of Countrywide's lending divisions and who was responsible for overseeing the company's "High Speed Swim Lane" program, often referred to as "the Hustle."

Alliant National Title Insurance Company, a title insurance underwriter that partners with independent agents, announced the hiring of Katherine Kitty Stevens, Esq. as VP of Florida agent training and business development.

Platinum Data Solutions, a technology provider specializing in collateral evaluation and quality, has launched all-new upgraded scoring functionality for RealView, its configurable engine that processes and analyzes appraisals for compliance and completeness.

Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS) announced that Paul Lee has been named CFO.