Industry attorneys noted there has been a resurgence in redlining cases since the mortgage market unraveled in 2007...

One advisor reminded us that in the world mortgage M&A many potential deals go south...

Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie all posted solid gains in volume during April, but Ginnie had the strongest increase with issuance rising more than 32 percent…

Many shops continue to recruit for LOs but with the caveat they have strong ties to Realtors and homebuilders.

Mortgage servicing rights are playing an important role in how mortgage lenders finance their businesses, experts say, and a more balanced MSR market is expected this year despite persistent regulatory concerns and worries about high servicing costs. It was clear from a panel discussion at the Urban Institute this week that MSRs have grown in importance as a form of collateral and that it continues to divide lender/servicers and consumer advocates. Overall, six panelists agreed that certain reforms are needed if the market expects to thrive in the current environment. Stephen Fleming, senior vice president with Phoenix Capital, expects...

Compliance attorneys are urging mortgage lenders to reevaluate their lending policies and practices to ensure they are not biased against any protected groups even as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned about increased focus on fair lending and redlining in 2015. In their analysis of the CFPB’s recent report on fair lending, attorneys with the Washington, DC, law firm K&L Gates warned that the bureau will increase its scrutiny of mortgage lending amid growing concern about redlining, or refusal to lend to certain groups of borrowers or neighborhoods. Attorneys Melanie Brody and Anjali Garg said...

Mortgage industry participants are encouraged by a bipartisan bill introduced in the House last week that would provide a temporary license for loan originators transitioning from a bank to a nonbank or between states. H.R. 2121, from Rep. Steve Stivers, R-OH, would change the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act to allow for a temporary transitional license and give loan originators 120 days to pass testing standards for nonbank LOs when transitioning from a bank or between states. “The SAFE Act inhibits...

Quicken Loans recently sold $1.25 billion of corporate debt through a private placement, and speculation is rising that the nation’s largest nonbank originator may use the cash to significantly expand its servicing portfolio. As Inside Mortgage Finance went to press this week, company spokesman Aaron Emerson said he had no information about servicing expansion. Regarding details of the debt sale, he noted: “Legally, there’s not much I can say about the topic.” Quicken serviced...

Like Freddie Mac, Fannie cautioned that future earnings will be lower because of the company’s mandate to shrink.

The legislation would provide a temporary transitional license and give loan originators 120 days to pass testing standards...