As risks from cyber attacks on financial institutions remain a top concern, the Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of the Inspector General determined that the oversight of the Federal Home Loan Banks’ cybersecurity program is not effective.In an audit released late last month, the IG found in 14 out of the 15 Federal Home Loan Bank IT examinations performed in 2013 and 2014 that included vulnerability scanning and/or penetration testing, the division of bank regulation did not asses the design of the tests performed by contractors at the banks’ discretion.Vulnerability scanning includes a thorough examination of computers, computer systems, networks, and applications to identify security weaknesses.

Home-equity originations declined by a modest 3.0 percent from the third to the fourth quarter...

The TRID rule has cost lenders plenty in terms of not only compliance attorneys, but software and consulting fees.

Appraisals aren’t causing significant closing problems for purchase-mortgage lending, although there are issues as home prices increase, according to responses to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. “Appraisals are mostly in line with contract prices,” said Tom Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys. “However, appraisals for FHA mortgages and VA mortgages more often miss the contract price than appraisals for conventional mortgages.” Appraised home prices have tended...

Opendoor, an online real estate start-up, unveiled a new service this week that lets sellers trade-in one home for another one instead of watching it sit on the market or being forced to juggle two mortgages. The San Francisco-based company launched the program in Phoenix and Dallas with a goal to make buying and selling a home “as simple as trading in a car.” Once sellers find a new home, they go to the Opendoor website, decide on their closing date, and the company will take it from there, including dealing with the new home’s real estate agent along with the title and escrow. To simplify the transaction, the company doesn’t...

A day after the news broke that W.J. Bradley Mortgage has shut its doors, competition is heating up for some of its top loan officer and executive talent...

One observer had this to say about the firm closing: "They literally shut their doors ... no vacation time pay either..."

An investor in Ocwen, for instance, that bought into the stock two years ago at $60 a share is now facing a loss of 96 percent.

At last check, W.J. Bradley employed roughly 500 workers...

John Shrewsberry, a senior vice president at Wells Fargo, said the bank has focused on adding jumbo mortgages to its portfolio. “They are very safe loans,” he said. “I think we’ve got four basis points of loss coming through that portfolio.”