When it comes to the new QM rule lenders are operating from a position of fear. You can bet that mortgage attorneys in the Washington DC area have racked up the billable hours, holding their clients hands and supplying legal advice as the clock strikes midnight.
The mergers-and-acquisitions market is expected to be robust this year thanks to falling loan production, which likely will force weaker players in the mortgage industry to align with stronger partners. But now theres another reason why M&A activity could be brisk: new servicing rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. According to industry officials and Fitch Ratings, new servicing rules will drive up compliance costs for all servicers, but smaller players including community banks and nonbanks could see their profits erode as they increase spending to stay compliant. In a new report, Fitch writes...
MountainView and The Prestwick Mortgage Group are out in the market with new deals for mortgage servicing rights. The new year should prove to busy for MSR sales.
Freedom has big expansion plans for the new year. Company CEO and founder Stan Middleman recently told IMFnews Daily that he plans to hire between 200 and 500 residential loan officers in 2014.
Will well-known mortgage trainer Barry Habib stick with Residential Finance Corp., a company whose assets are in the process of being sold? Its hard to say since RFC isnt answering questions on about the firms future.