The Lede

ORLANDO--Mortgage Bankers Association Vice Chairman J. David Motley, CMB, said the mortgage servicing industry has a "unique opportunity" to move forward.

ORLANDO--Representatives from federal agencies here at the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Mortgage Servicing Conference & Expo said changes to mortgage servicing regulations will continue to move forward, even as these agencies try to adapt to the rapidly changing servicing environment.

ORLANDO--By now, most people in the mortgage servicing industry know that, to some degree, they are defined by the nightmare scenarios that have become fodder for media, regulators and members of Congress.

ORLANDO--So, mortgage servicer, how do you know you're doing a good job?

ORLANDO–The Mortgage Bankers Association forecasts modest growth for the U.S. economy, with stronger demand for housing despite anticipated increases in mortgage interest rates. “The U.S. economy feels like it has ...

ORLANDO--In the aftermath of the biggest housing crisis in this country's history, preserving and improving once-vibrant neighborhoods has become a major priority for both housing officials and mortgage servicers.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Survey, there were increases in the foreclosure starts rate during fourth quarter 2015 in a handful of states that have economies closely tied to the oil industry.

After 18 months of falling oil prices, the downturn's ripple effect spilled over into energy-related commercial mortgage-backed securities loans, said Kroll Bond Rating Agency, New York.

The Mortgage Bankers Association presents the second in a three-part webinar series discussing new Federal Housing Finance Agency/Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac representation and warranty policies. Rep and Warrant Reform Part II: Enforcement takes place Thursday, Feb. 25 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET.

The Mortgage Bankers Association recognizes its Premier Members.

The Mortgage Bankers Association recognizes its Select Members.

Housing Wire, Feb. 18, 2016--Wheeler, Sarah If there's one unofficial yet overriding theme of this year's National Mortgage Servicing Conference sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association, it has to be the pain of regulatory pressure on servicers.

HousingWire, Feb. 19, 2016--Lane, Ben Ocwen Financial is about to add a big name to its board of directors, as the nonbank announced Friday that Carol Galante, the former commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, is set to join the company's board.

National Mortgage News, Feb. 19, 2016--Sinnock, Bonnie The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau acknowledges that gearing up for the Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act integrated disclosures has been tough, and it promises to consider that fact in exams.

HousingWire, Feb. 19, 2016--Lane, Ben The Treasury Department announced Friday it is boosting the Hardest Hit Fund by as much as $2 billion to a number of states, citing the need to continue to support the recovery from the housing crisis in the communities that were impacted the most.

Scotsman Guide, Feb. 19, 2016--Whitman, Victor Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt warned this week that the government's course of eliminating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's capital buffers could lead to future taxpayer bailouts of the government-sponsored enterprises that could destabilize the housing market.

HousingWire, Feb. 19, 2016--Wheeler, Sarah The threat of a security breach is real and growing. Experts on a panel at the Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage Servicing conference on Thursday outlined the threat trends facing the mortgage industry and what companies could do to make their companies safer from a cyber attack.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 18, 2016--Dulaney, Chelsey; Light, Joe Mortgage-finance company Freddie Mac said it would send a $1.7 billion payment to the Treasury in March as it reported a higher profit for the fourth quarter, driven by increased interest rates.

MarketWatch, Feb 17, 2016--Goldstein, Daniel The Flint real-estate market had long been depressed after the loss of many jobs in the nearby auto industry. The water poisoning crisis at the end of December dropped selling prices to $30,700, according to Zillow.com.  "The difficult issues raised in Flint go beyond just Fannie and Freddie, but essentially they revolve around the balance between protecting the health of borrowers without decimating home values in an area that is already facing serious struggles," said David Stevens, president of the Mortgage Bankers Association.

HousingWire, Feb. 18, 2016--Swanson, Brena Freddie Mac recorded fourth quarter net income of $2.2 billion, a jump after net loss of $475 million for the third quarter of 2015, which marked the first loss in four years. The government-sponsored enterprise also posted a comprehensive income of $1.6 billion, up $2.1 billion from a comprehensive loss of $501 million for the third quarter of 2015.

Standard & Poor's, New York, said consumer credit default rates showed little change in January.

National Mortgage Professional, Feb. 16, 2016--Hall, Phil In his first speech as the new president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, Neel Kashkari took on a strikingly political edge by complaining about the limits in enforcing the Too Big to Fail aspect of a Dodd-Frank Act. Speaking at the Brookings Institution, Kashkari noted that his regional Fed bank was taking aim at the issue and then challenged Capitol Hill to do the same.

Scotsman Guide, Feb. 16, 2016--Whitman, Victor Since this past summer, mortgage servicers have been at greater risk of getting slapped with a class-action lawsuit or stiff fines for making unwanted robo calls, legal analysts say. In February, the Mortgage Bankers Association wrote to several housing regulators, pointing out the conflicts created by federal policy on autodial calls.

Bloomberg, Feb. 17, 2016--Mulholland, Sarah Wall Street firms are readying themselves for new rules aimed at requiring them to eat what they cook. A provision of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that takes effect in December forces banks to keep a stake in the commercial-property loans they package into securities and sell off to investors.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 17, 2016--Dulaney, Chelsea Fannie Mae said economic growth could remain "unspectacular" this year despite a healthier labor market, according to a new report from the mortgage-finance company.

MortgageOrb, Feb. 19, 2016 The delinquency rate (30 days or more past due) for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.77% of all loans outstanding at the end of the fourth quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's National Delinquency Survey.

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 19, 2016--Dulaney, Chelsey; Light, Joe Fannie Mae will send $2.9 billion to the U.S. Treasury Department in March, as profit grew in its fourth quarter because of the impact of increased interest rates.

National Mortgage Professional, Feb. 17, 2016--Grant, RickMortgage Bankers Association Vice-Chairman J. David Motley, CMB., president of Colonial Savings F.A., focused on the high cost of loan servicing and its correlation to increased regulatory oversight at the MBA National Mortgage Servicing Conference and Expo 2016.