Archives

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Justice $2 million settlement with PrimeLending spotlights serious problems on loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The case found inconsistent and abusive pricing on loans to African-American borrowers, revealing that it’s far too easy for lenders making government-backed loans to overcharge home buyers.

McLean, VA - December 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that once again, both fixed- and short-term mortgage rates rose this week. This was the fourth week in a row where fixed-rate mortgage rates were up.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michael D. Berman, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and John A. Courson, MBA's President and CEO, announced today the MBA has assembled a task force of key MBA members to examine and issue recommendations for the future of residential mortgage servicing. The Council on Residential Mortgage Servicing for the 21st Century will be led by Debra W. Still, CMB, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pulte Mortgage LLC of Englewood, CO and MBA's Vice Chairman.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is launching multiple investigations into the practices of certain mortgage lenders to determine if their home loan policies illegally deny qualified African American and Latino borrowers access to credit.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- PrimeLending, a national mortgage lender with 168 offices in 32 states at the end of 2009, has agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American borrowers between 2006 and 2009.

BIRMINGHAM, AL - December 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- A federal judge today sentenced the leader of a mortgage fraud ring in Jefferson County to 6 ½ years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley and Department of Housing and Urban Development Acting Inspector General Michael Stephens.

WASHINGTON, DC - December 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- HOPE NOW, the private sector alliance of mortgage servicers, investors, mortgage insurers and non-profit counselors, released its October 2010 survey data today which estimates the industry completed more than 1.54 million permanent loan modifications for at-risk homeowners from January through October 2010.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 8, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 3, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 0.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 22.8 percent compared with the previous week, which included the Thanksgiving Holiday.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- On Monday, December 6, 2010, The Mortgage Bankers Association, (MBA) submitted the attached comment letter to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on the proposed guidance for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal Housing Administration Single Family Insurance process: Eligibility, Indemnification, and Termination. The proposed rule, which would affect lenders who participate in the Lender Insurance (LI) process, would provide more stringent indemnification requirements regarding mortgagee indemnification to HUD

McLean, VA - December 7, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) announced today that it expects to begin providing on a monthly basis pool-level delinquency disclosures on its single-family Mortgage Participation Certificate (PC) and Giant PC securities

VIENNA, VA - December 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today proposed a requirement that non-bank residential mortgage lenders and originators, like other types of financial institutions, establish anti-money laundering (AML) programs and comply with suspicious activity report (SAR) regulations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 3, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has launched a newly-designed consumer-oriented website, www.SaveMyMortgageInterestDeduction.com, to provide up-to-date information on the threat to the mortgage interest deduction.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Michael D. Berman, CMB, Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association, today issued the following statement reacting to the proposal from the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

McLean, VA - December 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which found that the both fixed- and shorter-term mortgage rates rose this week. This was the third week in a row where fixed-rate mortgage rates were up

Washington, DC - December 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Delinquency rates for different commercial/multifamily mortgage investor groups were mixed in the third quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Commercial/Multifamily Delinquency Report. The delinquency rate for loans held in CMBS is the highest since the series began in 1997. Delinquency rates for other groups remain below levels seen in the early 1990's, some by large margins.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- ” The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 26, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 16.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. This week's results include an adjustment to account for the Thanksgiving holiday. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 34.2 percent compared with the previous week

McLean, VA - December 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today announced it has ordered all evictions involving foreclosed occupied single family and 2-4 unit properties that had Freddie Mac mortgages to be suspended from December 20, 2010 to January 3, 2011.

McLean, VA - December 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) announced today that it priced its new 0.625% $4 billion two-year USD Reference Notes® security due on December 28, 2012. The issue, CUSIP number 3137EACQ0, was priced at 99.866 to yield 0.69%, or 17 basis points more than two-year U.S. Treasury Notes. The issue will settle on Thursday, December 2, 2010.

Washington, DC - December 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The three co-creators of Foreclosure-Response.org – Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Urban Institute, and the Center for Housing Policy – have compiled and released new data on seriously delinquent mortgages for all 366 U.S. metro areas. “Seriously delinquent” mortgages are those that are delinquent 90 days or more or are in the foreclosure process. Homeowners experiencing serious delinquency are at substantial risk of losing their homes.

Washington, DC - December 1, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The following is a statement by National Association of Realtors® President Ron Phipps. “As the leading advocate for housing and home ownership issues, NAR firmly believes that the mortgage interest deduction (MID) is vital to the stability of the American housing market and economy.