Category: News and Trends

Though market volatility and growth concerns increased uncertainty early this year, commercial mortgage real estate investment trusts still benefited from strong CRE fundamentals, said Keefe Bruyette and Wooods, New York.

DALLAS–Technology is rapidly changing the servicing sector, but the human element remains as important as ever, analysts said here at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Commercial/Multifamily Servicing and Technology Conference.

FHA this week proposed a new rule to strengthen its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program.  

NEW YORK–Eight years later, the real estate finance industry is still dealing with thousands of pages of regulations and legislative “fixes” stemming from the financial crisis.

RealtyTrac, Irvine, Calif., said vacant U.S. properties in the foreclosure process fell to just over 19,000 in the second quarter, even as the overall number of vacant residential properties crept up.

NEW YORK–Representatives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said they continue to make progress toward developing a Common Securitization Platform, but do not anticipate anything sooner than its projected 2018 implementation date.

Black Knight Financial Services, Jacksonville, Fla., said April foreclosure starts hit a 10-year low, while the nation’s foreclosure inventory fell to its lowest level since 2007.

Commercial banks continue to add multifamily mortgages to their balance sheets at a strong clip.

Equifax, Atlanta, reported total balance of write-offs year-to-date in March for first mortgages, home equity lines of credit and home equity loans fell to $9.5 billion in the first quarter, a nine-year low and a year-over-year decrease of 22.7 percent.

NEW YORK–Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, said the real estate finance industry must continue its vigilance in ensuring that the secondary mortgage market continues to function efficiently.