A company called NotaryCam is raising eyebrows – and hopes for the future of e-mortgages – with the deployment of what it claims is the world’s only notary service that securely and legally notarizes documents online within minutes via live web conference from anywhere in the world. Requiring just a standard webcam, NotaryCam, based in Alexandria, VA, can produce a digital version of notarized documents within minutes. And with browser-to-browser ...

Third Federal Savings & Loan in Cleveland is wooing first-time homebuyers with an offer of a $1,000 credit to spend as they wish if they close a purchase mortgage with the lender. There is no catch, said David Reavis, marketing manager for Third Federal. “There are no points and fees on the back end to cover the credit,” he said. “Third Federal is paying for it. We think the combination of a competitive rate and the $1,000 in the form of a check is an attractive offer that will ...

Total VA volume for the entire year was $112.0 billion in purchase and refinance loans.

Glenview is bullish on Ocwen but it also owns a large stake in the nonbank...

Although HARP originations plunged by 76 percent last year, the FHFA may keep the program alive.

During 4Q14 Javelin Mortgage Investment sold all of its holdings of prime, fixed-rate, senior bonds from new-issue jumbo MBS – $119.6 million of non-agency product in total.

Tom Popik, research director of Campbell Surveys, notes that the Quicken Loans’ call-center model can be an accepted alternative to local mortgage branches.

Home-equity lending gained modest momentum during the fourth quarter of 2014, although the outstanding supply of second-lien mortgage debt continued its seven-year decline. Mortgage lenders originated an estimated $21 billion of home-equity loans, including home-equity lines of credit and closed-end second mortgages, during the fourth quarter. That was up 5.0 percent from the third quarter and brought full-year production ... [Includes one data chart]

Gebre was Galante’s temporary replacement. Until a recent cut in premiums, FHA volume has been steadily dropping.

In early April, the Federal Housing Finance Agency is expected to issue its long-awaited proclamation on guaranty fees with the likely outcome of no change whatsoever in the base fees charged by the two government-sponsored enterprises, according to officials tracking the issue. Few lenders are counting on a reduction in the current “ongoing” GSE fee, which increased from 13 basis points in 2009 to 40 bps in 2013, according to the FHFA. But there could be relief on ...