The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to conduct computer-based training for appraisal managers to improve the way they assess the VA Home Loan Guaranty program’s appraisal process. The VA said it hopes to garner more positive feedback from staff appraisal reviewers this year by having them train with LoanSafe Appraisal Manager (LSAM). LSAM, an appraisal risk-analysis tool from CoreLogic, automatically evaluates all the data and form fields in an appraisal, quickly returning an easy-to-use summary of key valuation, market-risk factors and compliance issues. In June last year, the VA announced an automated Appraisal Management Service (AMS) that includes the LSAM product for use in enhancing the appraisal review process prior to issuance of the Notice of Value. The AMS system provides lender and servicer appraisal processing programs and staff appraisal reviewers (SARs), which will ...
CRT Capital Group has begun winding down its mortgage research division, Sterne Agee CRT, casting a shadow over publicly traded residential stocks and dashing the hopes of any nonbanks that were hoping to pull off an initial public offering this year. As one equities researcher told Inside Mortgage Finance this week: “It’s not fun being a stock analyst these days.” And commenting on the recent – and unexpected – drop in rates, he added: “Some of these firms may get smoked.” Four years ago, Sterne Agee was...
A borrower recently filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status against Fannie Mae related to an inquiry made into his credit file after his bankruptcy process was completed. Some attorneys said the case hints at a new type of lawsuit on the horizon stemming from the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Grant Bailey alleges that the government-sponsored enterprise made unauthorized inquiries into his credit after bankruptcy released him from any debt he owed to Fannie. Bailey filed documents in federal court on June 15 stating that the inquiry without his consent was not permissible under the FCRA and did not serve any legitimate business need. These allegations represent...
There’s a growing concern about price discounts on Ginnie servicing rights, and a strong belief that the agency is once again getting anxious about so many nonbanks being such large players in the market.
Subservicing firms now process roughly 16.3 percent of all home mortgages in the U.S., the highest reading since Inside Mortgage Finance began publishing these data two years ago.