If a residential loan officer isn't doing at least six units per month, should he (or she) be fired?

The mortgage slowdown will separate the men from the boys, the girls from the ladies. It's time to fire all underperforming loan officers, says mortgage consultant David Lykken.

More players are entering the mortgage servicing market even with all the challenges besetting the sector, from the new national servicing standards to Basel III capital requirements, according to industry experts. With megabanks shrinking their mortgage businesses and servicing portfolios, small to medium-sized firms are stepping in to fill the gap, panelists observed during the recent Mortgage Bankers Association annual convention. Purchasers of mortgage servicing rights are mostly nonbanks with no ...

Most outstanding adjustable-rate mortgages have already reset, eliminating concerns about payment shock as interest rates increase, according to a new analysis by Lender Processing Services. However, home-equity loan performance is expected to deteriorate. Some 63 percent of outstanding ARMs have reset, according to LPS. And more than 75 percent of the ARMs scheduled to reset were originated after 2008. “We’re not seeing a significant effect that could cause new problem loans or any resurgence in ...

Look who has a bigger piece of the mortgage servicing pie: nonbanks that do not fall under the purview of the Fed, FDIC and other regulatory agencies.

bivey@imfpubs.com Walter Investment Management is the latest servicer to transition to a “capital lite” business model, announcing the formation of a REIT to hold mortgage servicing rights. Walter said the new Walter Capital Opportunity unit will acquire certain MSRs while Walter Investment Management subservices the loans. Rival special servicers Nationstar Mortgage and Ocwen Financial have already created or partnered with similar affiliated MSR investors and Two Harbors Investment, a REIT, announced a like-minded agreement with PHH this…

Traders sold off their positions in Nationstar's stock Thursday. The firm reported lower earnings and will exit the broker channel.

Redwood started acquiring agency mortgages from correspondent lenders in mid-October. The REIT noted that the activity helps create mortgage servicing rights for it to invest in.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have almost "repaid" their debt to the U.S. Treasury. But will it change the debate on the future of the GSEs?

How many loans per month should a loan officer be closing when times are lean? According to Dave Lykken of Mortgage Banking Solutions, if an LO isn’t closing at least six loans per month, they might want to consider employment elsewhere.