Kate Berry

The nearly 350 community activists from Neighborhood Assistance Corp. of America were headed to Phoenix, the second stop on a four-city tour to help distressed borrowers avoid foreclosure. But Bruce Marks, NACA's CEO, would be staying behind for a few hours. He had just set up a meeting with executives at the bond powerhouse PIMCO — with, we think, our inadvertent assistance.

But chance turned what was supposed to have been a protest on the Newport Beach, Calif., doorstep of Pacific Investment Management Co. into an apparently amicable sitdown between two of its executives and housing advocates.

Whether she's hosting a mid-year conference call with 5,000 employees or broadcasting live to 11,000 real estate agents, Heiden thrives on trying to engage thousands of employees in a common pursuit.

FHA changes may inadvertently make it harder for military veterans to refi; multifamily moves by Freddie and BB&T; and more.

The company said Friday that it plans to set up a special unit that will purchase residential loans from community banks, thrifts and credit unions.

The crisis and consolidation in banking have given Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. an unprecedented share of the mortgage market and new clout in their business relationships.

Starting Oct. 1, the Social Security Administration plans to raise the fee it charges to check the identity of a mortgage or credit applicant from 56 cents to $5 for each verification.

More than two years after the mortgage crisis began, doing business with government agencies has probably never been so critical for home lenders — or expensive.

Lenders earned an average of $1,088 per loan, a 635% increase from the fourth quarter's $148 per loan, the trade group found in its first quarterly report measuring the performance of independent mortgage bankers and subsidiaries of banks, thrifts and hedge funds.

As the tally of failed banks continues to grow, so does the list of institutions with similar names that have had to calm down confused customers and business partners.

Michael E. Kelly, the billionaire who built FBOP Corp. by snapping up ailing banks around the country in the 1980s and 1990s, now may have to give up some control of this far-flung empire — or lose all of it.

Mortgage investors say they need more protection from further home price declines than the government is currently offering them in return for allowing loans to be modified.

Richard Davis, U.S. Bancorp's chairman and CEO, takes umbrage at the notion that banks are refusing to lend; B of A names executive chairman of global banking and markets.

HSBC promotes financial literacy on public television; $450 million is raised to buy banks — for their bad loans; and more.

The Treasury Department plans to announce financial incentives for servicers to pursue short sales and deeds in lieu of foreclosure for troubled homeowners who do not qualify for the Obama administration's loan-modification program.

Using Fannie and Freddie as a blueprint for the future of the mortgage industry; Wells Fargo's companywide conference call; a weekly index of refi applications.

Despite years of efforts by the Federal Housing Administration to cut back on red tape, a bias remains against borrowers using FHA financing.

As the largest banking companies try to unload thousands of distressed properties, they are using a controversial practice that can win them new loans and has competitors crying foul.

PMI "embeds" mod specialists at servicers to help distressed borrowers cut through bureaucracy; appraisal-management exec calls HVCC "redundant"; and more.

Industry data and anecdotal evidence suggest banks and servicers have been dragging out the foreclosure process — not rushing to kick people out of their homes.