Freedom Mortgage, which has aggressive hiring plans this year, has tapped two top production executives from PHH.

Let’s just hope that if Bernie Madoff and Lee Farkas are socializing together in prison they’re not plotting some type of massive mortgage scam.

The GSEs’ common industry dataset that supports the CFPB’s new disclosure form is called the Uniform Closing Dataset, and is one component of the Uniform Mortgage Data Program, an ongoing effort being directed by the FHFA.

The mortgage insurance industry is anxiously waiting on new risk-to-capital rules being worked on by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

One former regulator told us that HUD is relying too heavily on foreclosure sales, which can drive down median values.

According to calculations from Inside Mortgage Finance, some counties will see the limit fall to $271,050. “At the very least FHA should allow for a phase-in period,” said one industry lobbyist.

As an industry, banks assigned a fair-market value of $48.4 billion to their mortgage servicing rights, according to figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Trends.

Mel Watt said he will formally announce the delay in higher LLPAs and g-fees after he is sworn in on Jan. 6, the same day he will resign his House seat.

A few months back top executives at RFC denied to Inside Mortgage Finance that a sale was in the works.

Issuance of jumbo MBS was strong in 2013 until interest rates started to rise in May due to concerns that the Federal Reserve was set to taper its stimulus efforts.