Government

Scottsdale, Arizona-based National Short Sale Center says more than 50 percent of the homeowners it is working with to secure short sales have been approached by circumspect individuals or companies proffering fraudulent foreclosure rescue services.

New York Gov. David A. Paterson has proposed legislation that would build upon the state’s subprime lending reform law enacted last year. The measure centers on providing additional protections for homeowners and tenants, establishing safeguards against foreclosure rescue scams, and preventing urban blight caused by foreclosed homes.

Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons signed Senate Bill 184 into law last Tuesday. The measure, which received widespread support from real estate brokers, agents, and appraisers in the state, enables broker price opinions (BPOs) to be performed in Nevada and provides the real estate valuation industry there with clarity regarding BPO preparation and delivery.

Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan recently toured two Dallas neighborhoods where low- and moderate-income homebuyers are being given affordable opportunities to own a home. Dugan described one of these neighborhoods in South Dallas as being hit hard by foreclosures.

A Montclair, New Jersey man pleaded guilty last week to charges in connection with a $139 million fraud scheme that bankrupted Pine Brook, New Jersey’s U.S. Mortgage Corp. and its subsidiary, CU National Mortgage, LLC in February of this year.

Federal regulators completed unprecedented stress tests of the largest banks’ balance sheets last month, and found that 10 of the 19 institutions screened had enough capital on hand to not only sustain lending in the current environment, but could continue lending even if economic conditions worsen.

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s plan to buy up mortgage-backed securities (MBS) has proven to be a high-ticket project. According to a recent Wall Street Journal:http://www.wsjonline.com report, which cited analysis by JP Morgan Chase, the Fed is underwater on its MBS portfolio by about one percent, and it would have to take approximately $5 billion in losses if it were to mark its portfolio to the market.

Long-term mortgage interest rates have climbed to their highest levels since late last year, casting a dark cloud on any early signs of a housing recovery and stalling the recent wave of refinances many struggling homeowners employed to get out from under unsustainable mortgages.

The Treasury Department announced new rules late Wednesday that limit executive compensation for lenders who have received bailout money from the government. Such restrictions have stirred controversy within the financial sector and are the primary reason many banks want to start repaying the taxpayer funding they received through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

Reston, Virginia-based MERSCORP, Inc. (MERS) unveiled a new program on Tuesday that informs borrowers of ownership changes regarding their mortgage. The company says its program supports new federal legislation, which is designed to help homeowners keep their homes by bringing greater transparency and accountability to the mortgage lending process.