Point2Homes Includes Foreclosure Feature for Buyers
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:18:00 -0600
Point2 announced a new feature on Point2 Homes that will make it easier for consumers to access and research thousands of bank owned and pre-foreclosure properties. Through an additional foreclosure tab, consumers can search for distressed properties without having to submit personal information on the site.

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JVI Solutions, Active Data Technologies Forge Technology Agreement
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:12:00 -0600
JVI Solutions LLC, a nationwide appraisal and inspection services provider, and Active Data Technologies Inc., the parent company of Foreclosure.com, announced Wednesday that the two Florida-based firms have forged a technology partnership which they describe as "game-changing." The joint venture will soon introduce a proprietary automated home appraisal and broker price opinion (BPO) system that integrates interactive analytical data into a mobile platform.

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New Platform to Help Servicers Manage Loans in Default
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:37:00 -0600
CoreLogic announced a default servicing platform for the mortgage industry that simplifies the way servicers manage loans through all stages of the default lifecycle. The new web-based platform, DefaultView, allows for information to be exchanged across multiple departments.

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Market Report Shows Positive Trend but Weak Market Conditions
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:24:00 -0600
HomeValueForecast.com released a report on housing market trends, which highlighted two main findings: most Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) are in the weak or soft category, but the majority of CBSAs had more positive than negative market trends. The ranking was developed based on single family home markets in the top 200 CBSA. Market indicators include average active market time, average listing price, and number of foreclosure sales. The market trend indicators are forward-looking, and so having more positive indicators forecasts improving conditions in a high percentage of the CBSAs.

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RES.NET Offers Loyalty Reward Program for Agents
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:49:00 -0600
RES.NET recently launched a customer loyalty program for real estate agents. RES Rewards, the program’s name, is free and allows members to collect points by completing tasks throughout the system such as using the connect tool, referring a friend, and renewing a membership.

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Experts Respond to January Home Sales Report
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:15:00 -0600
In response to data released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on Wednesday, experts overall agreed market is heading towards recovery but advised certain factors need to be taken into consideration when analyzing the data. In response to the 4.3 percent month-over-month increase in January for existing-home sales, Capital Economics stated that it is not quite as encouraging as it first appears given that it comes at the expense of a 5 percent downward revision to the previous month's figures.

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January Home Sales Up Again
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:43:00 -0600
Existing-home sales rose in January for the third time in the last four months, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). January sales completed transactions were up 4.3 percent from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.57 million. January sales – completed transactions – were up 4.3 percent from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.57 million. December's total was revised downward to 4.38 million from 4.61 million. The January 2012 sales pace was up 0.7 percent from January 2011.

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Overdue Mortgages Number 6,082,000
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:10:00 -0600
New data from Lender Processing Services (LPS) shows that as of the end of January, there were 6,082,000 mortgages in the U.S. going unpaid. That tally includes loans that are 30 or more days delinquent and loans in foreclosure. The national delinquency rate as of January month-end was 7.97 percent. Delinquencies registered a decline, both for the month and the year. The industry's foreclosure inventory, however, rose to 4.15 percent, as newly initiated foreclosures spiked.

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Moderate Growth Projected for 2012
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:09:00 -0600
Moderate Growth Projected for the Year Overall, growth is expected to continue for the year, but at a modest rate, according to the Fannie Mae February 2012 Economic Outlook report. Economic growth is projected to be at 2.3 percent for 2012, an increase compared to 1.6 percent last year, according to the report. For the first time in seven years, the housing market is projected to contribute to gross domestic product (GDP, but by a very modest amount.

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Plans to Involve Private Investors Lessen Role of Fannie and Freddie
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:01:00 -0600
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released a three-part goal Tuesday to phase out the dominant role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and allow for more private investors into the mortgage industry. The first part of the goal involves building a new infrastructure to enable the private sector to participate in the secondary market. The second goal would be to contract the GSEs' operations to the private sector, gradually moving mortgage credit risk from the GSEs to private investors, according to the letter.The last goal is to continue with initiatives to prevent foreclosures and ensure mortgage credit is available.

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Ohio Designates $75M for Demolition; Should It Go to Borrowers?
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:08:00 -0600
With more than 100,000 vacant properties in the state, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine designated part of Ohio’s $335 million from the national settlement with the nation’s largest servicers for property demolition. However, not everyone agrees with the decision. "We would have much rather spent that money helping families and creating homes rather than knocking houses down that we believe are owned by some very well-resourced banks," said Chris Warren, Cleveland's chief of regional development, according to the Huffington Post.

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Bank and Non-Profit Unite to Provide Homes to Service Members
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:28:00 -0600
Operation Homefront, a non-profit which assists military members, partnered with Chase to place at least 100 Wounded Warriors, military, and veteran families into permanent residences this year through the Homes on the Homefront program. Chase is providing the homes, and Operation Homefront will provide ongoing transitional services to the families until properties are deeded to the recipients.

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Appraisal Service Delivers 1 Million Reports
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:47:00 -0600
a la mode announced February 16 that its DataCourier service reached a milestone of one million appraisal reports delivered since September 1, 2011, the time new Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) requirements went into effect. DataCourier is a free electronic packaging and delivery service that bundles files and checks for compliance errors.

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Treasury Hosts Servicer Workshops for Florida Agents and Homeowners
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:55:00 -0600
Treasury is heading to the coastal cities of Miami and Tampa, Florida, this week in order to offer assistance to homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments. Treasury will host a "Help for Homeowners" outreach event in each of the hard-hit Florida cities where homeowners can meet one-on-one with their servicers. Before the homeowners arrive, though, Treasury has blocked off time for real estate professionals to meet with the servicers on behalf of their clients and to participate in short sale workshops led by the servicers themselves.

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Treasury Increases Incentives for Principal Reductions
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:10:00 -0600
A recently released Supplemental Directive from Treasury increases incentives for second lien investors when loans receive principal reductions. The increased incentives apply to permanent HAMP modifications with principal reductions through the government's Principal Reduction Alternative (PRA) that have trial period plans starting March 1 or later. Increased incentives are also available when second liens are completely or partially eliminated through the Second Lien Modification Program (2MP) on loans modified starting June 1.

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Ex-Bank President and Developer Both Charged With Mortgage Fraud
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:58:00 -0600
A former bank president and real estate developer were charged in a one count bill of information for conspiracy to commit mortgage bank fraud. The case, which is being investigated by agents from the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and the FBI, involves Reginald Harper, 58, former president and CEO of First Community Bank in Hammond, Louisiana, and Troy A. Fouquet, 43, a developer based in Covington, Louisiana. Both men were charged for their roles in a scheme involving the cover up of delinquent loans for "sham" loans.

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LRC Acquires KeyLink Asset Management
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:02:00 -0600
Loan Resolution Corporation Acquires KeyLink Asset Management LRC Asset Management, a majority-owned company of Loan Resolution Corporation (LRC), announced the acquisition of KeyLink Asset Management. As of March 1, 2012, KeyLink will be known as LRC Asset Management.

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Keystone Promotes Employee to VP of Marketing and Business
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:12:00 -0600
Keystone Asset Management announced the promotion of one of its employees to VP of marketing and business development. Ryan Hennessy, who joined Keystone in 2009, received the new title. In his role as VP, Hennessy develops new businesses and works closely with operations, sales, IT, and accounting teams to implement procedures in the ongoing development of existing client portfolios.

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Proposed Bill to Speed Up Short Sale Process and Prevent Foreclosure
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:40:00 -0600
To avoid losing homes to foreclosure due to long response times for short sale transactions, three senators introduced legislation to speed up the short sale process. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) proposed the bill addressing the issue of short sales time lines on February 17. The legislation, also known as the Prompt Notification of Short Sales Act, will require a written response from a bank no later than 75 days after receipt of the written request from the buyer.

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Connecticut Receives $190M in National Settlement
Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:31:00 -0600
Connecticut is set to receive more than $190 million from the multi-state settlement with the nation’s largest mortgage servicers. "There are many reasons why I believe this settlement is good for Connecticut, but the most important reason is this: it provides immediate help to thousands of Connecticut homeowners at a time when they can still use that help to save their homes," said Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, who served on the negotiating committee that established the settlement with the banks.

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Realtor.com Lists Top 10 Turnaround Towns
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:17:00 -0600
Realtor.com released its list of the top ten turnaround towns for the 2011 fourth quarter. While the ten towns listed - eight of which are in Florida - suffered from high foreclosure rates, they are now rebounding. Miami, Florida, at number one, had sales of existing single-family homes shoot up 51 percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. The turnaround list was developed based on year-over-year price appreciation, reductions in year-over-year median age of inventory, and declines in inventory levels.

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San Francisco's Foreclosure Audit Turns Up Irregularities, Illegal Activity
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:14:00 -0600
An audit of San Francisco foreclosures conducted by county officials revealed documentation errors were evident in nearly all of the cases examined. Auditors reviewed 382 case files that resulted in a foreclosure sale between January 2009 and October 2011. They identified one or more irregularities in 99 percent of the loans and one or more violations of state law in 84 percent. San Francisco's Office of the Assessor‐Recorder says it hopes to open a dialogue on the importance of compliance with state laws so that corrective action can be taken.

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Economic Report from White House Summarizes Housing Initiatives
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:38:00 -0600
The Economic Report of the President was released by the White House Friday, and included a summary on how the administration has and will attempt to move the housing market forward towards stability. The theme for report was To Recover, Rebalance, and Rebuild, and when addressing the housing market, the report stated that while housing markets are stabilizing in many regions, the healing process will take time. In order to restore the housing market back to health, the report spoke of initiatives from the Obama administration including the reduction of inventory for foreclosed homes by converting them to rental units.

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Zillow Names New VP of Partner Relations
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:27:00 -0600
Zillow, Inc. announced the hiring of a new VP of partner relations. Robert D. Bemis was appointed for the position and has 25 years of experience in the real estate industry. Bemis will be responsible for creating new partner relationships with real estate brokers, agents and multiple listings services(MLSs). In 2011, Bemis was named one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders by Inman News.

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New York, Delaware Pursue Mortgage Securitization Investigation
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:05:00 -0600
Reluctant attorneys general for New York and Delaware both signed on to the multi-state $25 billion settlement last week with the nation's largest servicers, securing $740 million and $45 million for their states, respectively. The two attorneys general were lured back to the settlement in its final days when they were assured the settlement would not impede further investigation into additional civil and criminal claims at the five mortgage servicers – Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and GMAC.

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AHMSI Announces Name Change to Reflect Expansion
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:35:00 -0600
American Home Mortgage Servicing(AHMSI) announced that the company will change its name to Homeward Residential, and is expecting this conversion to take place after the second quarter. The name change is a move to reflect the company's expansion into residential lending and other real estate finance related businesses.

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Software to Help Prevent Servicers From Receiving SCRA Fines
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:52:00 -0600
To help companies stay in compliance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), eMason introduced a software application to alert mortgage services of borrowers who are on active duty. CLARIFIRE automatically requests and stores DOD certificates and alerts users of active duty status through a dashboard view of these loans.

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Mortgage Services Company Adds IT Group
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:49:00 -0600
ISGN Corporation now includes an IT group among the list of services it provides to the mortgage industry. The IT services group assists companies with building an IT strategy to meet business needs. ISGN offers a variety of IT solutions including project consultation, infrastructure management, and application development and maintenance.

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Property Valuation Fraud Rises Following Decline
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:07:00 -0600
The risk for property valuation fraud rose nearly 8 percent for this fourth quarter, according to the Mortgage Fraud Risk Report released by Interthinkx. This rise caused certain regions of the New York Tri-State region to move into the high risk category. The national mortgage fraud risk index also increased by 1.4 percent compared to the last quarter and 3.6 percent since a year ago. With an index value of 247, Arizona overtook Nevada as the riskiest state. Nevada, now at number two, ranked first in this category since the first quarter of 2010.

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Obama's Budget Calls for $61B from Banks
Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:00:00 -0600
President Obama's budget proposal continues to receive a barrage of criticism, especially from Republican lawmakers. Obama specifically targets the nation's largest banks with a Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee, through which he intends to raise $61 billion. The money is intended to "compensate the American people for the extraordinary assistance they provided to Wall Street" and discourage excessive risk-taking, Obama says. Part of the money would be used to fund the mass refinance program outlined in his State of the Union address.

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Rates Stay Low, With 30-Year Fixed Below 4 Percent
Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:12:00 -0600
The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is still at an all-time low of 3.87 percent and it's been there since the first week of February, according to the weekly market survey published by Freddie Mac. The 30-year average has managed to remain below 4 percent for the past 11 weeks, and below 5 percent for the past 52 weeks, dating back to February 17, 2011. The 15-year rate was also unchanged in the GSE's study, while the 5-year adjustable rate posted a slight decline and the 1-year adjustable rate increased.

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Citi Pays $158.3 Million Due to Faulty FHA Insurance Claims
Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:35:00 -0600
CitiMortgage, a subsidiary of CitiBank, agreed to pay $158.3 million due to claims that the bank failed to comply with HUD and FHA requirements in underwriting loans for federal insurance, and for stating certain loans were eligible for FHA's mortgage insurance program when they were not. As a result of these actions, HUD incurred losses from defaulted loans that should not have been approved. CitiMortgage accepted responsibility for specific actions including failing to conduct a full review of certain loans it endorsed.

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StreetLinks Expands Executive Sales Staff
Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:51:00 -0600
StreetLinks Lender Solutions has expanded its executive sales staff to accommodate the company's growing nationwide base of lender and appraiser partners. Shane Martin joins as VP of national sales, Tony Gioia assumes the role of VP of national external sales, Mark Tague has been tapped as assistant VP of national sales for LenderX, Joel Munn also steps into the role of assistant VP of national sales, and Geoffrey Helmen is StreetLinks' newest national account manager.

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Report Reveals Delinquency and Foreclosure Rates Down for 4th Quarter
Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:54:00 -0600
A recent Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report revealed that overall, delinquencies and foreclosures are on a decline, and when gauging where the U.S. housing market stands in terms of recovery, Jay Brinkmann, MBA's chief economist, says we are about halfway to the pre-recession days. Overall, the delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four unit residential properties decreased to 7.58 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 7.99 percent in the third.

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Initial and Continuing Claims for Unemployment Fall Again
Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:24:00 -0600
First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell 13,000 for the week ended February 11 to 348,000, hitting their lowest level since March 2008, the Department of Labor reported Thursday. Continuing claims, reported on a one-week lag, fell as well, dropping 100,000 to 3,426,000. That's the lowest reading for continuing claims since August 2008. While the absolute numbers themselves are encouraging, the trend in the filings is more significant.

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Foreclosure Activity Up 3% for the Month, Down 10% From Last Year
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:01:00 -0600
Foreclosure activity increased 3 percent in January, but is still down 10 percent compared to a year earlier, according to data released by RealtyTrac Thursday. Foreclosure activity includes default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions. Nationwide, one in every 624 housing units had a foreclosure filing last month. The number of properties taken back as REO in January totaled 66,542, with the biggest year-over-year increases in repossessions recorded in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Indiana.

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IMARC Hires 25-Year Mortgage Veteran to Direct Product Development
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:58:00 -0600
IMARC, which specializes in fraud audits for individual loans and portfolios, hired a new senior director of product design and business development. Lisa R. Binkley has been in the mortgage industry for 25 years, and her main responsibilities with IMARC will include product development and marketing associated with quality control, due diligence, and data verification.

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Obama Proposes Extending Tax Waiver on Mortgage Debt Forgiveness
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:07:00 -0600
Obama's FY2013 budget proposal includes an extension of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007. The Act ensures that homeowners who received principal reductions or other forms of debt forgiveness on their primary residences do not have to pay taxes on the amount forgiven. The administration is proposing an extension that would apply to any amounts forgiven before January 1, 2015. Otherwise, short sales and even modifications that reduce the debt qualify as income to the borrower.

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Deadline to Request Foreclosure Review Extended Three Months
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:54:00 -0600
Consumers who want their foreclosure cases checked by a third party as part of federal regulators' independent foreclosure review directive now have until July 31, 2012, to submit their requests. The Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced Wednesday that the deadline has been pushed out by three months to give consumers more time to file for a case assessment if they believe they suffered financial injury as a result of errors in foreclosure actions in 2009 or 2010.

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Consumers Still in Distress Despite Job Gains and Credit Boost
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:37:00 -0600
Overall, the addition of 683,000 new jobs and the best credit picture in more than 15 years helped improve the financial health for the average U.S. household, but these gains were offset somewhat by a decline in net worth and tight household budgets, according to the Q4 2011 report from CredAbility. A score below 70 indicates financial distress, with U.S. households scoring 67.6 on the 100-point scale for this quarter, a smidge higher than the previous quarter, which was at 66.7.

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Hidden Gems: Freddie Mac's Refinance Activity Reports
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:55:00 -0600
Of the myriad of public reports about the mortgage industry, the quarterly statistics from Freddie Mac on refinance activity offer unique insights not only into the level of refinance lending but what that activity tells us about the housing sector. If you know how to read them, the reports can offer strategic clues for the savvy lender. Loans refinanced into larger loans, for example, speak to a need to supplement lagging incomes, while refinancing into smaller loans allows homeowners to free up cash for consumption.

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REO App to Help Contractors Organize Tasks and Save Time
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:48:00 -0600
For those juggling a list of REO properties that must be managed and maintained, Mobile Business Concepts created an app and software to make the process smoother and more efficient. REO Photo, the app's name, will help contractors get organized through features such as the ability to assign jobs, track progress, and document work with photos.

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Mortgage Banking Attorney Joins Rogers Townsend Law Firm
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:04:00 -0600
Rogers Townsend & Thomas PC recently announced the addition of David W. Neill to the firm's Charlotte, North Carolina office. Neill brings 14 years of default services experience to the firm and has handled all aspects of the foreclosure process, from initiation to completion. His work has included resolving complex title issues, addressing problems inherent with REO properties, interacting with title companies, and conducting real estate closings.

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Arizona Company Adds Short Sale Dept. to Combat Foreclosures
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:11:00 -0600
Integra Group Real Estate introduced a short sale department to its services to address the high foreclosure rates in Arizona. The housing market crash caused more than half of Arizona homeowners to have negative equity, and Pima County has an 11.9 percent vacancy rate compared to the normal 1 and 2 percent rate, according to a release from Integra. Through bilingual support, Integra also services Hispanic homeowners who were impacted 2.3 times more by subprime loans than non-Hispanics.

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Ginnie Mae Greenlights Residential Credit Solutions as Issuer, Servicer
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:17:00 -0600
Residential Credit Solutions, Inc. (RCS) has just received approval from the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) to be an issuer and servicer for the Ginnie Mae I and II single-family mortgage-backed securities programs. Dennis Stowe, president and CEO of RCS, says the nod from Ginnie Mae will allow the company to provide assistance to a broader constituency of homeowners by expanding its servicing and sub-servicing offerings to both investors and issuers of federally insured and guaranteed loans.

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Ohio Awarded $335 Million Through Settlement
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:04:00 -0600
The $25 billion, 49-state settlement awarded Ohio with $335 million to be used for recovery and prevention efforts. Through the creation of a grant program, the AG's office will set aside $75 million to fund the removal of vacant and abandoned properties, which decrease the value of surrounding homes. While the exact number in Ohio is unknown, the estimate is 100,000 properties.

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Liberty Title and Escrow Adds VP of Sales to Colorado Team
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:50:00 -0600
Liberty Title and Escrow Company announced last week that Beth Avedis has joined its ranks as VP of sales throughout the state of Colorado. Avedis was previously with Fidelity National Title Company's direct Colorado operation, Heritage Title Company, where she served as VP of sales and marketing. During her 17-year career there, Avedis was awarded the prestigious Platinum Award for sales accomplishments for several consecutive years.

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CFPB Issues Proposal to Place New Standards on Mortgage Statements
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:14:00 -0600
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is looking to propose a rule to standardize monthly mortgage statements to make them easier for customers to understand. The CFPB recently released an early draft of a statement and is seeking feedback. Once a refined prototype is available, the CFPB said it will propose a rule to specify what needs to be on statements, but creditors, assignees, and servicers will have some flexibility to tweak the form after final publication of the rule.

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AG Settlement Brings Relief to Military Members
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:40:00 -0600
The settlement reached last week between federal and state officials and the nation's five largest servicers includes specific provisions for U.S. military members wrongfully harmed by their mortgage servicer. Four of the five banks participating in the settlement - JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Ally - will review foreclosures of military members since January 2006, identifying instances of violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, according to the Department of Justice.

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After Two-Year Lull, Delinquencies Rise for Second Straight Quarter
Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:49:00 -0600
The national mortgage delinquency rate rose during the fourth quarter of 2011, TransUnion reported Tuesday, marking only the second time since the end of 2009 the credit bureau has recorded an increase in past due mortgage payments. The first was during the third quarter of 2011, with the succession signaling what could be a troubling trend in the making. TransUnion calculates delinquencies as borrowers 60 or more days behind on payments but not in foreclosure. The rate increased from 5.88 percent in the third quarter to 6.01 percent in the fourth.

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