News

RES.NET, a California-based software applications firm serving the real estate industry, has partnered with Fay Servicing to provide Fay's clients access to RES.NET's expansive network of agents and vendors through the company's REO Portal.

Despite growth in mortgage revenues at banks nationwide, industry employment continued to move down in the second quarter as banks cut staff, according to a report from Mortgage Daily. All of the reported cuts in the second quarter happened at banks, which lost approximately 28,600 jobs from the first quarter to the second.

The number of residential properties repossessed by lenders by way of foreclosure in August declined on a year-over-year basis for the 21st consecutive month, according to RealtyTrac's monthly U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for August 2014 released September 11.

Foreclosure activity took a significant upward turn in the historically foreclosure-slow state of Colorado in August, according to RealtyTrac's monthly U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for August 2014 released September 11.

The increase in the headline index was driven by a more than four-point improvement in the gauge of consumer expectations, which rose to 75.6. On the other hand, the Current Conditions Index fell more a point to 98.5. According to Paul Diggle, U.S. economist for Capital Economics, the small decline "could reflect the weaker pace of payroll growth in August or even the slowdown in some measures of housing market activity."

In speaking before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs earlier in the week, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas J. Curry said the overall financial condition of banks has improved since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Reform Act four years ago – but he believes that supervisors need to "remain vigilant."

Foreclosure activity skyrocketed in New Jersey for the month of August, giving the Garden State the fourth highest foreclosure rate in the nation, according to RealtyTrac's monthly U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for August 2014 released September 11.

Beginning with the release of the June report last month, the monthly Case-Shiller reports now include an expanded national series going beyond the previously covered 20 markets. Previously, the national series was only released every quarter.

VRM University, the training division of Carrollton, Texas-based VRM Mortgage Services, announced the startup of the VRMU Academy earlier this week.

Federal Reserve governor Daniel Tarullo echoed Gruenberg's statement, though he was less concrete on a timeline: "I don't know whether I'd say by the end of the year, but I think we're definitely in the home stretch." As it was proposed in 2011, the rule originally called for securities issuers to hold on to 5 percent of a mortgage's risk after selling it unless the borrower made a 20 percent down payment.