Tag Archives: Wells Fargo

Two quarterly earnings reports revealed very different results for two major players in the mortgage industry. Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase both felt the sting of a shrinking mortgage market, but one bank revealed substantial growth. Wells Fargo reported a record net income of $5.9 billion for the first quarter, an increase of 14 percent from the year-ago quarter and 5 percent from Q4 2013.

Joseph A. Smith, Jr., monitor of the National Mortgage Settlement, filed final crediting reports with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, and Wells Fargo. The reports confirmed that banks have satisfied their consumer relief and refinancing obligations under the settlement, nearly a full year ahead of schedule.

A lawsuit filed last week in a New York federal court alleges that Wells Fargo, the nation's top mortgage provider, created a detailed, step-by-step internal manual on how to retro-sign foreclosure documents originated by other lenders.

Bank of America filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), alerting the TWC of impending layoffs in three of the bank's North Texas offices. The notice was sent on March 3, detailing layoffs of 114 workers from two offices in Plano, Texas and one in Richardson, Texas.

Wells Fargo announced its support of the American Land Title Association's (ALTA) Best Practices in its Settlement Agent Communications issued March 6, 2014. The lender said the Best Practice guidelines for sound business practices should ideally already be in place for businesses providing title and closing services for its customers.

The Wells Fargo Economics Group released its California Economic Outlook for February, 2014. The report noted that while recovery has been slow in the past, "[T]he state has methodically made progress working through a number of major impediments, most notably the overhang of foreclosures and distressed homes left over from the housing bust."

According to a report from The Charlotte Observer, Wells Fargo is laying off another 700 mortgage workers across the country. The bank announced Thursday the layoffs would affect mortgage processors and underwriters the hardest. What is causing the lending giant to cut jobs nationwide?

A new report released Tuesday by the Wells Fargo Economics Group noted that consumer sentiment in Florida remained at 78 for the second straight month. Although consumers in the nation as a whole lost some confidence in February, the Florida Consumer Sentiment Index showed citizens of the Sunshine State remained steady.

Wells Fargo is looking to reenter the subprime mortgage market by lowering its standards of acceptable credit scores for borrowers. Wells Fargo is the largest U.S. mortgage lender, and a move back into the subprime market may signal a sizable shift in the mortgage lending environment.

Ocwen Financial Corporation announced Thursday that plans to purchase the mortgage servicing rights of a portfolio worth $39 billion from Wells Fargo Bank have been halted by the New York Department of Financial Services (NY DFS). The Atlanta-based business serves as a financial services holding company. The transaction has been halted indefinitely, and any timeline for the completion of the deal remains undecided.