The Lede

Technology improves data quality and reduces chances of material defects being introduced at the closing table. 

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed 63,593 foreclosure prevention actions in the second quarter, bringing the total number of foreclosure prevention actions to more than 3.5 million since the start of the conservatorships in September 2008. 

If the adage that commercial real estate follows a 10-year cycle with only a seven-year memory holds true, it would be wise to refresh some memories, said Fitch Ratings Managing Director Huxley Somerville.

GlobeSt.com, Sept. 22, 2015--Bubny, Paul Outstanding commercial/multifamily mortgage debt rose by 1.4% during the second quarter, with multifamily debt hitting $1 trillion, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Tuesday.

New York Times, Sept. 28, 2015--Goldstein, Matthew Private equity and hedge fund firms have bought more than 100,000 troubled mortgages at a discount from banks and federal housing agencies, emerging as aggressive liquidators for the remains of the mortgage crisis that erupted nearly a decade ago.

HousingWire, Sept. 28, 2015--Garrison, Trey MBA President and CEO David Stevens says the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complaint database foments disinformation and has failed to take steps to correct these issues.

Associated Press, Sept. 27, 2015 Former Great Country Mortgage Bankers owner Hector Hernandez will serve the longest prison term of anyone involved in the massive scheme andalso must pay more than $64 million in restitution.

National Mortgage Professional, Sept. 28, 2015--Hall, Phil New data reports finds a housing market where home prices and loan delinquencies are quite different from a year ago, but the persistent question of affordability options is being challenged in a new study that calls for more so-called "inclusionary housing" in new real estate developments.

Politico, Sept. 28, 2015--Prior, Jon Interviews with more than 20 housing counselors, Legal Aid lawyers and government prosecutors in states hard hit by the real estate crisis that followed the 2007 financial meltdown reveal that the nation's top lenders are violating the settlement and rules put in place last year by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 22, 2015--Collins, Brian Ginnie Mae may soon raise its liquidity and cash requirements for independent mortgage banking firms since it seems almost certain that Congress won't increase the agency's budget for fiscal year 2016.

HousingWire, Sept. 22, 2015--Gaffney, Jacob Flashback to the 2008 timeframe where the subprime debacle was just taking hold. Enter into that the cast of characters who bet against the big banks, and potentially, the American economy to get rich while the Empire crumbled. Add in a couple of Hollywood A-listers and you get The Big Short movie, based on the book by Michael Lewis.

Wall Street Journal, Sept. 22, 2015--Coppola, Alex Low interest rates allowed a young New Yorker to retire her card debt and still pay less on her co-op loan.

Bloomberg, Sept. 25, 2015--Mulholland, Sarah Real estate investment trusts--companies that own properties such as luxury hotels, office towers and shopping malls -- are trading at an almost 15 percent discount to what investors would pay for buildings individually, according to Green Street Advisors LLC. The gap, the biggest in five years, has been growing since May, pushing the odds of REIT buyouts to the highest since 2006.

HousingWire, Sept. 23, 2015--Garrison, Trey A new white paper by Amit Seru from the University of Chicago, along with other economists at federal regulatory agencies, provides the first comprehensive analysis of the effects of the Home Affordable Refinancing Program.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 23, 2015 The rapidly evolving market for buying and selling distressed mortgage assets has created myriad challenges and opportunities for investors, servicers and portfolio managers.

Sept. 23, 2015--Team, Trefis The mortgage industry witnessed a sizable uptick in activity over the second quarter of the year, with total origination volumes reaching the highest level in the last two years. In fact, $225 billion in fresh mortgages were originated over the period - making it the best quarter in this regard since Q4 2007.

Reuters, Sept. 24, 2015--Varadhan, Sudarshan Mortgage servicer Ocwen Financial Corp said it would cut 300 jobs, about 10 percent of its U.S. workforce, in Waterloo, Iowa to save costs.

Forbes, Sept. 24, 2015--Team, Trefis The country's largest banks have been wary of adding mortgages not originated by them to their balance sheets, with the banks reporting another sequential reduction in their third-party mortgage servicing portfolios in Q2 2015.

Reuters, Sept. 24, 2015--Jones, Huw Global regulators meet in London on Friday to agree a rule on stopping banks being "too big to fail" by requiring them to hold enough equity capital and bonds to avoid taxpayers being called on in a crisis.

National Mortgage News, Sept. 25, 2015--Finkelstein, Brad Lenders that allow borrowers to shop for third-party settlement services face new liability, as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's integrated mortgage disclosure rules will let borrowers sue over problems with vendor lists.

OC Register (Calif.), Sept. 25, 2015--Lazerson, Jeff If you are buying or refinancing, you need to know how to get it right when it comes to the mortgage settlement process overhaul that starts Oct. 3.