The Lede

MIAMI--"Fraud is beginning to show itself in new and exciting ways," said Don Effertz, vice president of risk management with DataVerify Inc., Chesterfield, Mo.

Millennials poured $514 billion into the U.S. housing market over the past year as the largest generation of home buyers, said Zillow Inc., Seattle. But new survey data show their homeownership aspirations are stymied by affordability issues, frustration with the buying and selling process and a "cutthroat" housing market.

MIAMI--Chief risk officers here at the Mortgage Bankers Association's Risk Management, QA and Fraud Prevention Forum shared what keeps them up at night.

MIAMI--Mortgage fraud cases have been a downward trend for more than a decade--all the more reason, said law enforcement officials here at the Mortgage Bankers Association's Risk Management, QA and Fraud Prevention Forum, to be even more vigilant.

Ten years after the financial crisis, residential mortgage servicing is finally settling into a "new sense of normal," said S&P Global, Dallas.

MIAMI--"Fraud is beginning to show itself in new and exciting ways," said Don Effertz, vice president of risk management with DataVerify Inc., Chesterfield, Mo.

MIAMI--"Fraud is beginning to show itself in new and exciting ways," said Don Effertz, vice president of risk management with DataVerify Inc., Chesterfield, Mo.

HousingWire, Oct. 5, 2017--Brena SwansonAs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to develop, a report from the Office of Inspector General for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found some areas the bureau could work on.

Mortgage Daily, Oct. 9, 2017An agreement has been reached to sell Financial Freedom to an undisclosed buyer, parent CIT Bank said.

Miami Herald, Oct. 9, 2017--Kenneth R. HarneyFraud in connection with home mortgages is on the rise, ranging from little white lies about the intended use of the property all the way up to much more sophisticated schemes.

The Hill, Oct. 9, 2017--Alison SpannThe Federal Emergency Management Agency has delayed decisions on flood zone determinations--in some cases by two years or more--and currently has more than 240 mapping projects on hold, the department's inspector general warned in a report dated Sept. 27.

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 8, 2017--Liz Hoffman, Rachel Louise Ensign (subscription)OneMain is in advanced discussions with a number of interested parties, both rival lenders and private-equity firms.

National Mortgage News, Oct. 6, 2017--Laura Alix (subscription)A recent push by Fannie Mae to enable more millennials who are burdened by student debt to buy homes appears to be having its intended effect. Bankers said that they are finding it easier to qualify young homebuyers as a result of the policy changes.

HousingWire, Oct. 6, 2017--Ben LaneCongressmen from opposite sides of the political aisle are partnering to push for a change to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Know Before You Owe mortgage disclosure rule, also called the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule.

Reuters, Oct. 6, 2017--Michelle Price, Pete SchroederThe U.S. Treasury on Friday unveiled a blueprint for sweeping reforms of the U.S. capital markets as it looks to implement Republican President Donald Trump's agenda to promote economic growth by slashing red tape.

Reuters, Oct. 6, 2017--Jessica DiNapoli, Tracy RucinskiAn unexpected helping hand from creditors, landlords and vendors is allowing more U.S. retailers to stay in business following bankruptcy with most of their stores and employees in the fold.

Mortgage Daily, Oct. 5, 2017The deal was announced Thursday by Mortgage Industry Advisory Corp. New York-based MIAC noted that its whole-loan desk placed the $50 million pool of mortgages.

Associated Press, Oct. 5, 2017The U.S. attorney's office says 68-year-old Robert Pena, of Falmouth, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and six counts of wire fraud on Wednesday. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 5.

National Mortgage News, Oct, 5 2017--Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Select Portfolio Servicing grew its mortgage servicing rights portfolio by over 14% in the second quarter by targeting opportunities in the nonagency loan market.

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 5, 2017--Katy Stech Ferek (subscription)The bankruptcy judge handling a dispute between Bank of America Corp. and a California couple who were mistakenly foreclosed on refused to approve a settlement that would end their lawsuit on Wednesday.

CNBC, Oct. 3, 2017--Diana OlickHome prices are heating up yet again, and that is sending more potential buyers looking for ways to afford a monthly mortgage payment.

Reuters, Oct. 5, 2017--Jonathan StempelU.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco said shareholders may pursue claims that Wells Fargo officials looked the other way as employees facing "unrelenting" pressure to meet sales quotas unlawfully opened accounts and misled the public about fraudulent practices at the nation's third-largest bank.

Mortgage Daily, Oct. 4, 2017Freddie Mac disclosed Wednesday that it sold 3,514 single-family loans with a collective unpaid principal balance of $817 million through a seasoned loan structured transaction.

Mortgage Daily, Oct. 4, 2017MSRs on 1,415 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac home loans with an aggregate unpaid principal balance of $339 million have been put up for auction. California properties secure 52 percent of the loans in the offering.

HousingWire, Oct. 4, 2017--Kelsey RamirezRanking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services Maxine Waters, D-Calif., introduced The Megabank Accountability and Consequences Act Wednesday in a press conference.

National Mortgage News, Oct. 4, 2017--Kate Berry (subcription)In an interim rule, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it would give mortgage servicers more time to send early intervention notices to distressed borrowers who have asked not to be contacted about collection of their debts.

HousingWire, Oct. 4, 2017--Ben LaneOcwen announced the Securities and Exchange Commission concluded two different examinations of the nonbank's business, and said that the agency will not be seeking enforcement actions in either matter.

Wall Street Journal, Oct. 4, 2017--AnnaMaria Andriotis, Michael Rapoport, Christina Rexrode (subscription)Senators questioning Equifax Inc.'s former chief on Wednesday attacked the business model of the credit-reporting industry, asking why consumers shouldn't have power over the data that the companies collect on them.

Los Angeles Times, Oct. 4, 2017--Lauren RaabAs it looks to win back trust after a scandal over its sales practices, the San Francisco bank said it will reach out to customers who paid so-called "rate-lock extension" fees from Sept. 16, 2013, through Feb. 28, 2017, and give refunds to customers who don't think they should have paid.

Mortgage Daily, Oct. 3, 2017The volume of HECM activity moved down from the preceding month, when FHA mortgagees generated 4,927 endorsements.

National Mortgage News, Oct. 3, 2017--Brian Collins (subscription)While lawmakers appear eager to help develop private flood insurance as an alternative to the federal program, some are worried that private policies won't help support flood mapping and the enforcement of flood codes.

New York Times, Oct. 3, 2017--Tara Siegel Bernard, Stacy CowleyMembers of Congress tore into Equifax on Tuesday, berating the company's former chief executive for a breach of its computer systems that potentially exposed the sensitive personal information of more than 145 million Americans.

HousingWire, Oct. 3, 2017--Brena SwansonFederal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt once again pressed Congress on the urgent need for housing finance reform due to the looming deadline of the government-sponsored enterprises' capital buffer timeline.