Wall Street Journal, Jan. 22, 2016–Fletcher, Laurence
A record amount of money flowed into U.K. commercial property in 2015. For the year, investment totaled £64.3 billion ($91.1 billion), up 4% on the previous year, according to data from property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton.
New York Times, Jan. 22, 2016–Cohan, William D.
These days, the “too big to fail” banks have less competition than ever, they get their raw material – cash from depositors – nearly free and they have never had more ways to make vast amounts of money.
Wall Street Journal, Jan. 25, 2016–Scism, Leslie
American International Group Inc. plans to offer shares of its mortgage-insurance unit to the public while retaining a large majority position.
Wall Street Journal, Jan. 25, 2016–Ip, Greg
Not long ago, this week’s Federal Reserve meeting looked like a nonevent. Having begun to raise rates in December, the central bank was expected to stand pat while signaling more hikes later on. Now, after several bone-jarring weeks, many investors hope the Fed is having second thoughts.
Washington Post, Jan. 21, 2016–Orton, Kathy
Turmoil in global markets has been good for mortgage rates. China’s slowdown and cratering oil prices have created volatility in the markets and spurred investors to flee to safety in government bonds.
Business Insider, Jan. 21, 2016–Ro, Sam
The Fed raised short-term interest rates in December. Interestingly, long-term interest rates have come down since then.
Realtor.com, Jan. 21, 2016–Birk, Chris
The VA backed a record 631,151 loans in fiscal year 2015, eclipsing the previous high-water mark set just two years prior. VA loans have had the lowest foreclosure rate of all loan types for 25 of the past 28 quarters, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
HousingWire, Jan. 21, 2016–Swanson, Brena
The bank recently announced it would no longer offer retail residential mortgage loans to consumers since new residential mortgages weren’t generating enough business.
HousingWire, Jan. 21, 2016–Lane, Ben
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Thursday that his office is nominating Maria Vullo to serve as the superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, ending a tumultuous period that saw rumors of tension between the governor’s office and the NYDFS surrounding the departure of the Anthony Albanese as acting superintendent of New York’s top financial regulator.
24/7 Wall Street, Jan. 21, 2016–Lange, Chris
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Ocwen Financial Corp. agreed to settle charges that it misstated financial results by using a flawed, undisclosed methodology to value its complex mortgage assets.
