Kate Berry

Even as tight ties between regulators and the regulated are blamed for the housing collapse, former FHA chief David Stevens shows the Washington revolving door is in full swing.

An aggressive push by the Justice Department to investigate fair lending claims is prompting a backlash from bankers who claim the government is abusing its authority.

Servicers get reimbursed for advances when a loan is modified or the home goes into foreclosure. This may help explain why Ocwen's program is specifically aimed at borrowers who've defaulted.

Most borrowers do not end up in worse neighborhoods, nor do they endure more crowded living conditions after foreclosure, the central bank's economists find.

The insurer wants to sell its depository but keep writing mortgages. Essentially, it’s making a bet on regulatory arbitrage — the idea that certain categories of institutions can dodge scrutiny being placed on their competitors.

Six Federal Home Loan banks have launched a salvo against Bank of America Corp.'s proposed $8.5 billion mortgage bondholder settlement, suggesting the payout may need to be triple that amount.

Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown signs bill limiting any lien holder from going after borrowers if a short sale does not satisfy the entire mortgage.

It's been difficult to know if the hundreds of billions of dollars of residential loans banks have restructured over the past several quarters are really working. Soon there will be more clarity.

The price of being a good neighbor can be steep for banks foreclosing on condominiums and homes in planned communities.

Moody's Investors Service on Thursday downgraded the servicer quality ratings of two JPMorgan Chase & Co. units, citing deterioration in their collections and foreclosure processes and "operational challenges" due to the current regulatory environment.

Miami couple caught faking a promissory note in order to have mortgage debt discharged; HUD now pushing for those handling loan mods to obtain state licenses; and more.

The Federal Housing Administration is considering tightening borrowers' debt-to-income ratios, a move that would prevent the most highly leveraged consumers from qualifying to buy a home.

With the macroeconomic outlook still glum, housing prices still depressed and the FHA's grip on the market for low-down payment loans still intact, the mortgage insurers are stuck in the same rut.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, some mortgage lenders are choosing to relax underwriting requirements ever so slightly to offset a dramatic drop in loan origination volumes.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act case whose outcome could shield banks and other lenders from litigation under a wide range of federal and state laws.

Robert J. Shiller recently spoke with American Banker about his glum outlook on housing and why the qualified residential mortgage rule might not be such a bad thing for banks.

Fitch Inc. on Friday downgraded the ratings of nine mortgage servicers citing the growing burden of managing delinquent and defaulted loans amid a climate of "heightened regulatory scrutiny."

Fitch Inc. on Friday downgraded the ratings of nine mortgage servicers citing the growing burden of managing delinquent and defaulted loans amid a climate of "heightened regulatory scrutiny."

Home purchases have picked up in the last few weeks in Phoenix and Las Vegas, a sign that some of the hardest-hit housing markets may have hit bottom.

Home purchases have picked up in the last few weeks in Phoenix and Las Vegas, a sign that some of the hardest-hit housing markets may have hit bottom.