Magazine

Fannie Mae’s book of business shrank in December, ending a short streak of growth and marking the eighth month of 2013 in which business slowed.

Vectra Field Services, a provider of pre-foreclosure and REO mortgage field services, and Valuation Vision, a company specializing in alternative valuation products and technology solutions, together announced the launch of RepairSmart BPO, a new property valuation report.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a new report detailing a number of servicing practices that “continued to plague consumers throughout 2013.” The report covers supervision work completed between July and October 2013—after its servicing rules were first published but before they actually went into effect.

Gerner & Kearns Co., L.P.A. (G&K), announced the addition of two new attorneys to its Litigation Department: Elizabeth A. McCord and Kyle M. Winslow.

The co-founder/chairman and the CEO of RE/MAX were named among the most influential real estate industry executives of 2013 on two prestigious lists released last week. Dave Liniger, who founded the Denver-based real estate franchise in 1973, and Margaret Kelly, who became the company's president and CEO in 2005, were named to the Inman 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders and the Swanepoel Power 200.

Ocwen's servicing segment is set to acquire mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) on a $39 billion portfolio from Wells Fargo, the two companies announced Wednesday. The loans underlying the MSRs in the portfolio are primarily in private label securities, the companies said, and they were not originated by Wells Fargo. They represent about 2 percent of Wells Fargo's total residential servicing portfolio as of the end of 2013.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc., announced Tuesday that its banking subsidiary, Berkshire Bank, has completed the previously announced acquisition of 20 retail bank locations from Bank of America, effective January 17, 2014. As a result of the transaction, Berkshire acquired approximately $450 million in deposits and $4 million in loans as of January 14, 2014, bringing the total number of branches in Berkshire's footprint to 91 across New England and New York.

In Colorado, Prudential Preferred Real Estate of Greater Denver and Prudential Rocky Mountain Realtors of Boulder have joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, the new real estate brokerage network operated by HSF Affiliates LLC. Based in Irvine, California, this new network is designed for a new era in residential real estate. It currently currently comprises more than 22,000 agents and more than 600 offices in 26 states.

Mortgage Industry Advisory Corporation (MIAC) announced two new mortgage servicing rights (MSR) portfolios totaling more than $694 million. The first offering is a $669.22 million portfolio from a seller with originations focused mostly in the Northeast. The portfolio contains a mix of Fannie Mae (47 percent) and Ginnie Mae (50.9 percent) loans, with warehouse loans making up the rest. The second offering is a $24.96 million portfolio featuring 79.8 percent Ginnie Mae and 20.2 percent Fannie Mae loans.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) last week ordered a Missouri-based mortgage lender and its president to pay more than $80,000 for funneling illegal kickbacks in exchange for real estate referrals. According to CFPB's complaint filed in mid-January, Fidelity Financial Mortgage Corporation (FFMC) in 2010 entered into an agreement with a Missouri bank in which Fidelity would lease an office at the bank in exchange for business referrals.