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WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Under a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, two companies and three individuals are banned from the mortgage relief services business and must relinquish $2.2 million in assets for consumer refunds. The action is part of the FTC’s ongoing effort to stop scams that target financially strapped homeowners seeking mortgage relief.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it will launch an effort to better address national origin based housing discrimination during Fair Housing Month in April. HUD will initiate a national media campaign and a series of community discussions on topics ranging from rental practices to mortgage lending. HUD's first Immigrant Housing Conference, which will educate the public and housing providers about their fair housing rights and responsibilities, will be conducted in Omaha, Nebraska, April 14

WASHINGTON, DC - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Housing Administration's Mortgagee Review Board (MRB) today announced a settlement agreement with a Massachusetts mortgage lender for failing to fully verify whether borrowers could sustain their mortgage payments prior to refinancing their loans. Among the alleged violations, the MRB claimed First American Mortgage Trust (FAMT) of Brookline, Massachusetts refinanced mortgage loans for borrowers with serious credit delinquencies without properly analyzing the households' ability to manage credit

Atlanta, GA - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) --On April 6, 2011, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“Department”) entered into a Consent Order with BDK Mortgage & Investments, Inc. (“BDK Mortgage”), License Number 11800, Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System Number 166983, located at 201 Tallman Drive, Martinez, Georgia 30907 and its owners, Jackie H. Spires and James Spires, to resolve allegations pertaining to violations of the Georgia Residential Mortgage Act and agency rules.

Irvine, CA - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Due to recent confusion President & CEO of the California based Lenox Financial Mortgage Corporation, Wesley Hoaglund, clarifies that there is no affiliation with the Atlanta, Georgia based Lenox Financial Mortgage, LLC.

WASHINGTON, DC - April 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- HOPE NOW, the voluntary, private sector alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, mortgage insurers and non-profit counselors, released its February 2011 loan modification data, which shows that an estimated 87,000 homeowners received permanent, affordable loan modifications from mortgage servicers for the month.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Tuesday, April 5, 2011, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) sent the attached letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Edward DeMarco expressing MBA’s strong reservations about the stated timetable to revamp the fee structure for residential mortgage loan servicing.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) WHAT: The 50+ housing market does not always mirror the overall housing industry. Panelists on the call will provide an overview of the 50+ industry and discuss how it is performing compared to the rest of the industry, as well as provide an analysis of emerging trends and growth opportunities.

Deerfield, IL - April 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- If you have not already heard Fannie Mae is in the process of changing their loan documents. This is the first major rewrite of Fannie docs in about 10 years and this is a substantial change from previous documents, both in form and content. Since Fannie is one of the largest multifamily lenders and anyone financing a property is, or should be, getting a Fannie quote, you need to understand these changes.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Mortgage applications decreased 2.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 1, 2011.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today announced the promotion of Jim Gross to Vice President of Financial Accounting and Public Policy. In this capacity, he will advise Steve O’Connor, MBA’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Industry Relations on emerging industry policy issues and assist in setting strategic priorities.

Washington, DC - April 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Wells Fargo Bank was the top commercial/multifamily mortgage originator in 2010, according to a set of listings released today by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Other originators in the top 10 include HFF, L.P.; Meridian Capital Group, LLC.; CBRE Capital Markets, Inc.; Prudential Mortgage Capital Company; MetLife Real Estate Investments; Deutsche Bank Commercial Real Estate; PNC Real Estate; Northmarq Capital, LLC; and Berkadia Commercial Mortgage LLC

Washington, D.C. - April 5, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Wells Fargo Securities LLC agreed to settle charges that Wachovia Capital Markets LLC engaged in misconduct in the sale of two collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) tied to the performance of residential mortgage-backed securities as the U.S. housing market was beginning to show signs of distress in late 2006 and early 2007.

NEW YORK, NY - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released Help for Unemployed Borrowers: Lessons from the Pennsylvania Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program, the latest article in its Current Issues in Economics and Finance series from the Research and Statistics Group.

Washington, DC - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The NAACP will announce the opening of the NAACP Financial Freedom Center, the next phase of an historic agreement with Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) to provide financial education and banking resources to consumers. The Center will be the headquarters of the NAACP Financial Freedom Campaign, an initiative to influence change in the banking industry, prevent unfair mortgage lending practices, protect the community against predatory mortgage lending practices, improve fair credit access, and promote sustainable homeownership, financial education and wealth building strategies in historically disadvantaged communities. The agreement with Wells Fargo and NAACP was initiated last year, and also includes a process for sharing data, assessing Wells Fargo's lending and servicing practices, and shared accountability for progress.

Washington, D.C. - April 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has presented its annual Burton C. Wood Legislative Service Award to Bill Cosgrove, President and CEO of Union National Mortgage Company, at its 2011 National Policy Conference.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Member of the Media: The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Quarterly Data Book for the fourth quarter of 2010. The Data Book compiles the most up-to-date information on topics of interest to commercial/multifamily real estate finance industry participants and observers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 31, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- John A. Courson, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), today announced the appointment of Thomas T. Kim as Vice President of Commercial Regulatory Policy.

MADISON, WI - March 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen today filed a lawsuit against First American Funding Company, LLC of N4365 State Highway 73, Columbus, WI for violations of the state's No-Call and Direct Marketing laws. Michael S. Eisenga is listed in the complaint as the mortgage company's owner and operator

Small business owners with eligible commercial real estate mortgages maturing after Dec. 31, 2012, will be able to secure more stable, long-term financing through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s temporary 504 refinancing program as a result of a change that will be published in The Federal Register by April 6.