Matt Monahan is expected to aid HL as it tries to take advantage of a red hot market for servicing sales. A former deal maker at Cohane Rafferty Securities, he will beef-up HL’s mortgage sales force.

Mortgage companies with back-office operations overseas don't have to worry about the CFPB examining their off-shore staff, at least not anytime soon.

In an email exchange with IMFnews, RFC's Stein confirmed the sale, but declined to provide any details including the size of the MSRs or the purchase price.

A policy shift at the Securities and Exchange Commission requiring admission of guilt in certain cases may encourage wrongdoers in the securities market to litigate rather than settle, resulting in fewer SEC settlements, according to some compliance attorneys. Fear of possible criminal prosecution and the lasting impact of an admission of guilt could compel accused companies and individuals to take their cases to trial rather than negotiate a settlement, warned Philip Stein and Jeremy Sahn, partners in the Miami-based law firm of Bilzin Sumberg. Starting in June 2013, the SEC began requiring...

For an industry that’s looking at a 30 percent decline in originations, we’re seeing a great deal of SEC 13-d filings by investment funds that are upping their stakes in such players as MGIC, Radian, Ocwen, Walter, EverBank and the like.

VA activity appeared to lose momentum in the fourth quarter of 2013 as approved lenders reported $129.9 billion in total originations for the year, according to Inside FHA Lending’s analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs data. Production has been gradually slipping since the end of the first quarter, when lenders posted an aggregate $37.5 billion in new VA loans. The fourth quarter ended with $22.4 billion in total originations, which was down a hefty 32.1 percent from the previous quarter. On a year-over-year basis, however, VA originations were up by 1.5 percent. Refinancing accounted for 9.9 percent of VA production in 2013, up slightly from ... [1 chart]

Since Mel Watt was sworn into a five-year term as Federal Housing Finance Agency director on January 6, the former North Carolina Congressman has made no public appearances or policy statements except for canned comments attributed to him in routine FHFA press releases.

One loan officer based in Southern California said he’s seeing bonus offers made to colleagues, but cautioned: “It’s true, but only if you can prove good volume today – not eight months ago.”

Worried that New York State regulators will throw a monkey-wrench into Ocwen’s mortgage servicing acquisition plans? Don’t be.

Also, Morgan Stanley recently increased its stake in Arch Capital Group to 6.3 percent. Arch owns CMG Mortgage Insurance, which is being renamed Arch Mortgage Insurance Company.