Will former Long Beach Mortgage executive Jon Daurio finally launch a new nonprime venture?

Stock analysts have claimed that Lawsky has been aggressively investigating Ocwen so he can make headlines, paving the way for an eventual run for public office.

Are investors in Ocwen jumping for joy now that word is out that NYDFS chief Benjamin Lawsky might be leaving next year?

However, these same sources contend that Ocwen was successful in selling a smaller package of Ginnie MSRs.

Mortgage M&A activity remains red hot. We understand that RPM Mortgage of California is working on another acquisition...

In the first half of 2014, CFPB examiners conducted targeted reviews for compliance with the bureau’s new mortgage servicing rules and found mixed results, according to the agency’s latest supervisory highlight report. For example, the new rules require servicers to maintain policies and procedures to achieve specific objectives in areas such as loss mitigation, servicing transfers and service provider oversight. “In reviewing this area, examiners found that the policies and procedures at several servicers appeared to be reasonably designed to meet the specific objectives laid out in the rule,” said the new report. For instance, some servicers’ policies and procedures clearly outlined the ways in which they access and provide timely and accurate information. “These policies and procedures included specific ...

There are a host of legal land mines that mortgage lenders must avoid if they want to keep from becoming the target of a CFPB enforcement action under its unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP) authority, according to top legal experts. Andrea Mitchell, a partner with the BuckleySandler law firm, told attendees at an Inside Mortgage Finance webinar last week that there are a number of representations lenders should stay away from in their marketing pitches. “Say what you mean and mean what you say,” Mitchell said. She then rattled off a list of potentially problematic terms to avoid, such as “free” or “no cost,” “best rates available,” “fastest” or “faster than…,” “improve/repair your credit” or “eliminate your ...

Castle & Cooke Mortgage late last month filed a motion to dismiss a putative class-action brought by one of the aggrieved parties who had already been compensated under the terms of the settlement the lender reached late last year with the CFPB. In Luis Cabrales v. Castle & Cooke Mortgage LLC, plaintiff Luis Cabrales contends that the lender improperly compensated its loan officers by giving them bonuses for putting customers in more expensive loans than what they qualified for. The plaintiff sued for violation of the Truth in Lending Act – a claim that Castle & Cooke is not challenging at this point. However, Cabrales also brought other causes of action: violation of Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Practices ...

Initially, the jury awarded $514,000 in compensatory damages from PHH Mortgage and $15.7 million in punitive damages.

Rating agencies and Wall Street firms are paying close attention to the mounting regulatory problems at Ocwen Financial, fearful that more bad news could lead to servicing downgrades, which in turn could hamper its ability as a master servicer of MBS. One servicing advisor who has worked with Ocwen over the past two years noted that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pay close attention to the master servicing ratings of their counterparties. “You have to maintain minimum ratings and if you don’t – there’s going to be trouble,” he said. Downgrades, he added, can lead...