Tag Archives: Attorneys & Title Companies

The government sponsored enterprises are feeling the heat from Bank of America. A recent filing from BAC targets Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, stating that the criteria by which the GSEs are ultimately willing to resolve claims have become more rigid over time. By the numbers, BAC sold an estimated $1.1 trillion in mortgage loans to Fannie and Freddie between 2004 and 2008, and during the second quarter of this year, approximately $121 billion of the GSE-owned loans were in default or more than 180 days in arrears.

CoreLogic was the bearer of some positive housing market news recently, with its announcement that home pricing is on the rise for the third consecutive month. Data from CoreLogic indicates that the results from its Home Price Index for June demonstrate a 0.7 percent increase in the market, building on similar statistical improvements recorded in May and April. CoreLogic notes that pricing is still depressed by 6.8 percent compared to last year's numbers.

SunTrust is going global with United Way Worldwide. Recently named as a Global Corporate Leadership partner for the philanthropic organization, SunTrust has committed a $2.88 million gift from its SunTrust Foundation to the cause. Additionally, SunTrust already contributed $8.4 million during 2010, $4 million of which was pledged by the company's employees, and logged more than 100,000 volunteer hours with United Way via SunTrust's Solid Gives Back initiative.

A recent ruling by U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., faulted the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to perform a sufficiently thorough economic impact analysis before it moved forward with a new rule, according to Bloomberg News. The decision could roll over onto provisions established by the Dodd-Frank Act, delaying those provisions and preventing new rules from going into effect. Analysts say the court ruling may delay more Dodd-Frank rules.

After an operation orchestrated by regulators over 10 states, Morris Plains-based Mortgage Access Corp., doing business as Weichert Financial Services, inked its name to a remittance in the amount of $3 million over a multitude of compliance and internal control deficiencies. Some ten agencies joined the effort, with actors including banking regulators from Connecticut, Louisiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont.

Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC, is expanding via newly acquired assets from American Home Equity Corp. (AHE). Focused on growing its origination component, Carrington structured its purchase deal with AHE to enhance the company├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós wholesale retail channel.

On Friday the House of Representatives put largely partisan weight behind a bill that would require the FDIC to investigate the 382 bank failures it has corralled with shutdowns since 2008. If reconciled with a similar bill passed by the Senate, H.R. 2056 could require the FDIC's inspector general to examine whether the current regulatory climate crimps lending for community banks. A House Financial Services Committee statement cites some 140 bank failures over 2009 and 157 over 2010, claiming their concentration in only 10 states.

A rule recently finalized by the Federal Trade Commission will take effect this month, prohibiting mortgage brokers, servicers, and nonbank lenders from advertising 19 practices it calls deceptive. The rule will enable the FTC, newly opened Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and state regulators to issue civil monetary fines and penalties against wayward mortgage advertisers. The Mortgage Acts and Practices Rule prescribes a number of penalties for deceptive claims about mortgages.

Big news abounds at Total Mortgage Services, LLC, with two major recent announcements focused on the company├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós retail channel. Total Mortgage is amping up its staff with 50 new loan officers, and in addition, has just launched its Home Loan Program through the Agriculture Department.

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.