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Inside Mortgage Trends

March 27, 2015

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Servicing Helped Offset Share Drop In Production Income During 2014

Mortgage-banking profits fell sharply in 2014, but the servicing side of the business held its own and helped cushion the fall in production-related income, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of earnings reports. A diverse group of 11 mortgage lenders, including most of the giants of the industry, reported a combined $5.229 billion in production-related income for 2014. That was down 56.0 percent from the previous year ... [Includes one data chart] Read More

Servicers Use Menu of Business Strategies

Mortgage servicers participating in a recent servicing conference sponsored by Information Management Network described how they use a variety of business strategies and often change gears to adjust to evolving market conditions. Jorge Carvallo, a vice president at Banesco USA, characterized mortgage servicing rights as a “necessary evil” that his community bank generally tries to avoid. “We sell most of it because it’s economically difficult for us to ... Read More

House Bill Would Delay Basel MSR Requirements

A House bill with bipartisan support would delay Basel III capital requirements relating to mortgage servicing rights for all but the largest banks. The House Financial Services Committee this week approved, 49-9, H.R. 1408, the Mortgage Servicing Asset Capital Requirements Act. Introduced by Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-CO, the bill would require federal banking regulators to study the appropriate capital requirements for mortgage servicing assets for ... Read More

Third Federal Offers $1,000 Credit to Homebuyers

Third Federal Savings & Loan in Cleveland is wooing first-time homebuyers with an offer of a $1,000 credit to spend as they wish if they close a purchase mortgage with the lender. There is no catch, said David Reavis, marketing manager for Third Federal. “There are no points and fees on the back end to cover the credit,” he said. “Third Federal is paying for it. We think the combination of a competitive rate and the $1,000 in the form of a check is an attractive offer that will ... Read More

E-mortgage One Step Closer with NotaryCam

A company called NotaryCam is raising eyebrows – and hopes for the future of e-mortgages – with the deployment of what it claims is the world’s only notary service that securely and legally notarizes documents online within minutes via live web conference from anywhere in the world. Requiring just a standard webcam, NotaryCam, based in Alexandria, VA, can produce a digital version of notarized documents within minutes. And with browser-to-browser ... Read More

Altisource Portfolio Solutions Hit Hardest

In 2014, real estate owned vendor Altisource Portfolio Solutions grew its service revenue by a handsome 42 percent to $938 million while earnings crept up 3 percent to $134.5 million. So why is its stock price down 88 percent over the past year with both investors and stock analysts heading for the exits? To understand the plight of the publicly traded REO vendor, you first have to understand where it came from. ASPS is one of four spin-off companies of ... Read More

Declines in Negative Equity Halt, Mods Slow

After years of steady declines, the negative equity rate leveled off in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to industry analysts. The end to the trend was seen as a major turning point, with implications for loss mitigation efforts as increases to home prices aren’t enough to help many underwater borrowers. Some 16.9 percent of mortgage borrowers were in a negative equity position as of the end of the fourth quarter, according to Zillow. That was down from a peak of ... Read More

High-Score Lending Continued to Dominate

Mortgages with credit scores exceeding 740 continued to dominate the conventional conforming market in 2014, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last year. High-score borrowers accounted for 62.0 percent of loans securitized through the two government-sponsored enterprises in 2014. They accounted for an even bigger 66.2 percent of purchase-mortgages loans ... [Includes one data chart] Read More

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