The Lede

Top National News

Mortgage Employment Hits 25-Month High
National Mortgage News, Nov. 6, 2015--Collins, Brian Nonbank mortgage lenders added 1,600 employees to their payrolls in September, while employment estimates for the month prior was revised upward by 1,100 full-time positions, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.
Full Story
Giant Servicer Wants to Build FHA Portfolio
National Mortgage News, Nov. 6, 2015--Collins, Brian While the overwhelming majority of Nationstar Mortgage Holding's $4.9 billion in home loan originations in the third quarter were conventional loans, that will be changing soon if the company's chief executive officer has his way.
Full Story
Appraisal ‘Adjustments’ Could Cause Trouble
News OK (Okla.), Nov. 6, 2015--Harney, Kenneth R. Bottom line: If your appraisal doesn't square with the contract or threatens the deal, take a hard look at the "adjustments" made inside the appraisal on subjective factors such as condition and quality.
Full Story
Turning Renters Into Buyers
New York Times, Nov. 6, 2015--Prevost, Lisa The upward trajectory of rents in many metropolitan areas, which shows no sign of abating, often makes homeownership the better deal. But renters still aren't rushing to buy.
Full Story
Freddie Mac Issues Credit-Scam Warning to Potential Homeowners
HousingWire, Nov. 6, 2015--Lane, Ben In an effort to protect potential homeowners, Freddie Mac is issuing a warning to buyers and lenders about scams that offer the promise of a raised credit score in exchange for money.
Full Story
Fed’s Bullard Sees ‘Hot’ Debate Brewing After First Rate Hike
Reuters, Nov. 6, 2015--Schneider, Howard Debate within the U.S. Federal Reserve will quickly turn to the appropriate pace of monetary policy tightening after an initial rate hike, a battle that may be fought in an environment of unexpectedly higher inflation, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Friday.
Full Story
Real Estate Shell Companies Scheme to Defraud Owners Out of Their Homes
New York Times, Nov. 7, 2015--Saul, Stephanie White-collar criminals are employing a variety of schemes to snatch properties from their owners. Often, they use the secrecy afforded to shell companies to rent out vacated properties until they are caught or sell them to third parties.
Full Story
OCC to Lenders: TRID Compliance Exams Coming
HousingWire, Nov. 6, 2015--Lane, Ben In addition to having the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau monitoring lenders' compliance with its new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures rule, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency told lenders Friday that it will soon be starting its initial examinations of compliance with the TRID rules.
Full Story
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Drop Mortgage Modification Interest rate to Lowest Level Ever
HousingWire, Nov. 6, 2015--Lane, Ben For the first time since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac first established a benchmark interest rate for the standard mortgage modification programs in Jan. 2012, the rate is about to be lower than 4%.
Full Story
Big Banks Could Be Forced to Raise Up to $1.19 Trillion in New Securities
Wall Street Journal, Nov. 9, 2015--Dendrinou, Victoria Global financial regulators published new rules that aim to stop banks from becoming "too big to fail," to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, when taxpayers had to bail out banks whose collapse would have threatened large-scale financial panic.
Full Story
Blame Real-Estate Lending. Then Rein It In.
Bloomberg, Nov. 9, 2015--Turner, Adair Left to themselves, banks and shadow banks are bound to create too much of the wrong sort of debt and leave economies facing severe debt overhangs. That raises the question: How can we prevent excessive credit creation?
Full Story

Residential Finance News

Commercial/Multifamily News

MBA News

MBA Education Self-Study Web-Based Courses Available
MBA Education, the education arm of the Mortgage Bankers Association, presents a variety of Self-Study Web-Based courses to help you understand key real estate finance issues and enhance your value to your company.
Full Story