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WASHINGTON, DC - May 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced the Know Before You Owe project, an effort to combine two federally required mortgage disclosures into a single, simpler form that makes the costs and risks of the loan clear and allows consumers to comparison shop for the best offer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 18, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications increased 7.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 13, 2011. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 7.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 7.1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 13.2 percent from the previous week and is at its highest level since the week ending December 10, 2010. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 3.2 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 3.3 percent compared with the previous week and was 1.7 percent lower than the same week one year ago

WASHINGTON, DC - May 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that special disaster assistance may be available to Veterans with VA-guaranteed home loans who have been affected by recent tornados in the South. Veterans living in the designated disaster areas in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee may receive mortgage assistance through their loan servicers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Nationwide housing starts fell 10.6 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 523,000 units as concerns regarding competition from foreclosures, a lack of consumer confidence in the housing market and the inability to secure production credit caused builders to slow production, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Commerce Department.“While mortgage rates are low and house prices are as affordable as they’ve been in a generation, the decline in April’s housing starts is indicative of the low level of confidence that consumers have in the housing market,” said Bob Nielsen, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Reno, Nev.

SHELTON, CT - May 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Early sales success at Shelton’s Cranberry Hill Estates has accelerated the start of Phase 2 construction at the Armstrong Road community, announced John Tarducci, Senior Vice President of the New Homes Division at William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance.

Edison, NJ - May 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Real Estate Mortgage Network, Inc. (REMN), a national mortgage lender based in River Edge, N.J., is pleased to announce the launch of Menlo Park Funding, a new branch opportunity for select independent brokers and bankers. Menlo Park Funding will be the fourth business channel in REMN’s existing wholesale, retail and consumer direct divisions.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- WHAT: Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) 1st Quarter 2011 National Delinquency Survey (NDS) Media Conference Call.Conducted quarterly since 1972, MBA's National Delinquency Survey covers more than 40 million loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties, representing more than 80 percent of all first-lien residential mortgage loans outstanding in the United States.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michael D. Berman, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association, issued the following statement in reaction to the introduction of bipartisan legislation by Representatives John Campbell (R-CA) and Gary Peters (D-MI) that would reform the secondary mortgage market.

MILFORD, CT - May 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Total Mortgage Services, LLC, a leading mortgage lender, announced today the hiring of Victoria Bextel as the Company’s head of national operations for both its retail and wholesale channels. Ms. Bextel brings to this newly-created senior management position over 22 years of operations, underwriting and management experience within the mortgage industry. In her role as Executive Vice President of Operations, Ms. Bextel will be responsible for managing all operations for Total Mortgage’s retail and wholesale channels, from the time the loan application is received until the time the loan is sold to investors. Ms. Bextel will be based in Milford, Connecticut and report directly to John Walsh, President of Total Mortgage.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Community Bank Mortgage LLC, a subsidiary of the American Bankers Association, has renewed its agreement with SunTrust Mortgage Inc. as one of four preferred secondary market investors. With this partnership, Community Bank Mortgage LLC owner banks can sell loans on a servicing-released basis to SunTrust Mortgage and access their full line of products, including jumbo loans

Washington, DC - May 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Representative Gary Peters and Representative John Campbell (R-CA) have introduced a bipartisan plan to reform the mortgage market - putting an end to taxpayer-funded bailouts while preserving access to affordable mortgages for middle class families.

Atlanta, GA - May 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On May 10, 2011, an Order to Cease and Desist issued by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“Department”) to Charles Lee Carter aka Bo Carter (NMLS# 204264) of Bogart, Georgia became final.This Order to Cease and Desist was issued by the Department after it obtained evidence that Charles Lee Carter aka Bo Carter engaged in mortgage loan origination activities without a license or under an applicable exemption in violation of O.C.G.A. § 7-1-1002 despite the Final Order of Denial entered by the Department of his mortgage loan originator license application on July 1, 2010.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released a new white paper which provides background information and an environmental scan of the events leading up to the current foreclosure crisis and examines some of the myths surrounding servicer incentives in the loss mitigation process. The white paper is being released in conjunction with MBA's President & CEO David H. Stevens' testimony before the Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development on "The Need for National Mortgage Servicing Standards."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- David H. Stevens, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, testified today before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs' Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development on "The Need for National Mortgage Servicing Standards."

Washington, D.C. - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- ICBA Mortgage Corp., the mortgage lending subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), and QBE FIRST today announced an exclusive one-year, preferred vendor agreement that will provide ICBA members with tax tracking, tax insourcing and escrow administration services.

Jackson, MS - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mississippi Home Corporation (MHC) today announced its Home Saver program to help unemployed Mississippians bring their mortgages current and make monthly mortgage payments for up to 12 months while they look for work. The program’s Education Option assists homeowners for up to 12 additional months if they enroll in a certificate or degree-seeking program to improve their job skills and employability.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) today introduced the “Regulation of Mortgage Servicing Act” to help homeowners stay in their homes by making the rules for mortgage servicers more fair and transparent.

Washington, DC - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A proposed rule to define qualified residential mortgages (QRM) under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) would unnecessarily restrict access to home ownership. Realtors® at the Real Estate Services Forum – The Impact of Dodd-Frank on Real Estate session today during the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo gained insights into the implications of a narrowly defined QRM.

WASHINGTON, DC - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home sales are expected to stay on an uptrend through 2012, although the performance will be uneven with mortgage constraints weighing on the market, according to experts at a residential real estate forum today at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications increased 8.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 6, 2011.