Western Bancorp said it will lend to borrowers with credit scores as low as 620 and the loans are available to non-owner-occupied properties and first-time homebuyers.

However, a year-over-year look at the data shows a much poorer performance across the board, with overall grievances up 42 percent at Dec. 31, 2013, versus year-end 2012.

Among other things, Fitch sees the compliance/cost squeeze leading to a wave of industry consolidation in the mortgage servicing industry.

The sale was disclosed in a new SEC filing. The MSRs are backed by $10.8 billion of Ginnie Mae product.

One mortgage executive had this to say about the W.J. Bradley case: “This is fascinating for the implications of whether the LO or the company owns the customer. As you know, LOs have their little black books (or thumb drives) of all their customers and their information."

In fact, the ATR rule “does not require lenders to offer any specific type of mortgage,” the guide says. “Lenders can offer any mortgage they believe a consumer has the ability to repay, as long as they have documentation to back up their assessment.”

The FHA reviewed 6,692 government-insured loans between July 1 and Sept. 30, 70 percent of which were home-purchase loans.

Through the first nine months of 2013, an estimated 22 percent of the $1.59 trillion in mortgages originated (including second liens) had non-agency execution.

Jeff Detwiler, president and chief operating officer of Long & Foster Companies, noted that that higher interest rates are playing a “big role” in the lower home sales realtors are seeing in the Washington DC metro area.

A spokesman for WJB told IMF that the lender/servicer may send out an additional 2,000 data breach notifications, pending the results of a computer forensic review.