Servicing

According to results of a new survey by mortgage giant Freddie Mac, borrowers who were given the chance to refinance their mortgages showed a 77 percent success rate in maintaining or reducing their loan debt.

Some 240 lenders across the country got in trouble with the Federal Housing Administration this year, with the federal agency announcing sanctions on Friday that included revocations of approval, suspensions, reprimands, and civil monetary fines. The FHA's Mortgagee Review Board slapped lenders with administrative penalties for scrimping on loan criteria required by the federal agency, which it said in some cases resulted in over-insured loans, excessive and duplicative fees for borrowers, among other things.

Total bank failures leveled out at 61 over last week as three more financial institutions faced closure and acquisition by other banks. The failures and acquisitions left the FDIC with a total $253.4 million tab.

DecisionReady Solutions has found a new EVP, director of national sales and client relations in Matthew Lichtner. Recently hired into the role, Lichtner will oversee direct and indirect sales; marketing strategy; and market penetration among loan servicers, investors, and regulation agencies.

Market worries cooled Monday as news reports confirmed a tentative debt-ceiling deal by public officials Sunday, a last-minute agreement that would avert the next financial crisis predicted by economists. In response to the possible deal, mortgage rates stepped down from nominal highs from last week. According to Headline News, Bank of America reported that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.37 percent, down several basis-points from last week. Fellow mortgage giant Wells Fargo yielded 30-year loans at 4.50 percent.

With Standard and Poor's refusing to rate their their criteria for commercial mortgage-backed securities, Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. withdrew their joint $1.5 billion bond sale of the financial products Thursday ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô a last-minute game change that sent shockwaves through the industry. Bloomberg News reported that the banks had triggered a ratings review need by S&P by raising the threshold for lower-ranked debt set to take the brunt of potential losses.

Radian Guaranty, Inc. is multiplying its sales force with the addition of three new team members. Andrew (Andy) Cooper, Shelley Duffy, and Patrick Harrigan are joining Radian├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós sales division. Cooper will now serve as Radian├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós vice president, national account manager, and he├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬óll be responsible for managing and developing strategies with the company├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós largest lending partners.

Mortgage interest rate deductions, treasured by homeowners for their help with ownership and health insurance, may soon get the axe, as lawmakers struggle to raise revenue and gain the upper hand on the multi-trillion-dollar deficit. If a Senate budget plan works its way to the House, the nation's homeowners may see their taxes spike by as much as $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. The bipartisan "Gang of Six" senators moved forward with a proposal that would slash mortgage interest rate deductions.

As House Republicans shifted their focus to a balanced budget amendment Friday in order to push through a debt-ceiling raise bill, two analytics companies posted upticks in mortgage rates - a sign that some say the markets feel increasingly unsure about whether the nation will be able to pay its debts come August 2. A Bankrate, Inc. survey reflected a 6-basis point surge to 4.74 percent, with mortgages totaling 0.35 discount and origination points, with Freddie Mac reporting a similar jump.

After taking a nosedive in April and recovering in May, pending home sales climbed upward at a steady pace over June, according to a sales index released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors. As regions showed signs of recovery, market watchers faulted leery lenders and bad appraisals for a less-than-timely rebound. Releasing the Pending Home Sales Index, NAR revealed encouraging gains in unclosed contracts, as signings went up by 2.4 percent to settle at 90.9 in June.