News

James B. Lockhart III, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) overseeing GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, recently spoke with members of the American Securitization Forum (ASF) about the role the secondary mortgage market must play in the nation’s housing recovery.

The response streaming in from leaders and regulators across the banking and mortgage industries is overwhelmingly positive for President Obama’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan unveiled on Wednesday.

Freddie Mac has released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending February 19, 2009, showing that mortgage rates fell for all loan products this week. The GSE reported that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) this week averaged 5.

On Wednesday, the same day President Obama announced the government’s most aggressive effort yet to ignite a housing recovery, the Federal Reserve diminished its economic outlook for 2009 and warned that the U.

According to a report released today by Boston-based The Warren Group, foreclosure deeds in Massachusetts climbed during the month of January. Foreclosure petitions were also up from December, but actually declined 39 percent from a year earlier, the research company said.

Livonia, Michigan-based ELK Software LLC, a short sale and loan modification software and services provider for the industry, has released version 1.5 of its Web-based Short Sale Commander technology. Among the system’s enhancements are upgrades that simplify data entry and allow users to run a completely paperless short sale business.

Bensalem, Pennsylvania-based ISGN Corporation, a global provider of mortgage solutions and technology products, has announced several new enhancements to its LenStar technology, a web-based attorney and referral communication system for the default management market.

Denver-based LenderLive Network Inc., a company that provides business process outsourcing and technology to the financial industry, announced the expansion of its quality control services to support increased demand from clients for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans.

Kroll Factual Data and MIAC Analytics have announced an alliance to provide whole loan collateral risk assessment to mortgage investors and risk managers. Colorado-based Kroll Factual Data is a provider of business information solutions to mortgage lenders, consumer lenders, property management firms, and other financial organizations.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released its first monthly bank lending survey on Tuesday, showing that despite the negative effects of the economic downturn and unprecedented financial crisis, the top 20 banks receiving government funding have continued to originate, refinance, and renew loans.