Matt Scully

Homeowners associations seeking unpaid dues are seizing on a court decision allowing them to foreclose on properties ahead of banks. FHFA is litigating to defend Fannie and Freddie mortgages in a way that some say is controversial. Private lenders, meanwhile, are still trying to figure out how to deal with the problem before it spreads to more states.

The Justice Department has subpoenaed another subprime auto lender as it extends its investigation into the industry.

Associated Banc-Corp in Wisconsin reported a modest increase in quarterly earnings, and its CEO said it is actively seeking acquisition targets.

The Ocwen spinoff Altisource Portfolio Services delivered notices to more than 800 employees and hundreds of contractors this week as part of the company's scramble to reassure investors.

The big oil lender faces a classic dilemma: extend more credit to energy companies in need of more capital, or lock down to guard against a prolonged downturn.

Citigroup plans to shed 60 branches as part of its ongoing restructuring, a number of which are said to be in California. It shopped some of the California branches last year, and it may again try to sell some of them.

The investment firm made the decision after veteran analyst Anthony Polini and an associate left to form a new research arm for American Capital Partners.

Capital markets hold the key to the future for the consolidating Wall Street landlords, but the path through is downright bloody.

Freddie Mac in the next month plans to approve three more lenders, including one bank, to make multifamily loans between $1 million and $5 million for GSE purchase and securitization, according to an official. Banks were not initially courted.

The San Francisco bank will lend to more borrowers with weaker credit histories, an official at the bank said. Bank of the West, a BNP Paribas subsidiary, has proven to be more aggressive than U.S. peers in the past.

Investors' demands that the country's biggest bank produce better earnings amid costlier regulations are prompting fresh cries to break up JPMorgan Chase.

As the real estate market ramps back up, lenders are looking for ways to diversify their portfolios, even if the returns are slim.

Oil at $50 per barrel will almost definitely create problems for banks in oil-producing regions as well as Wall Street financial institutions that finance the sector. Analysts already forecast the price of crude will fall that low — the only other question is how long it might last.

Marketplace lender Social Finance may pursue a larger initial public offering than expected, CEO Mike Cagney said. Progress in its mortgage business and a new lending app will be pivotal to the company's future, he said.

A bankruptcy court judge sunk investors' hopes in their latest lawsuit against Lehman Brothers, which they claim broke contracts in junk mortgage-backed securities sold during the bubble years.

Bank debt is back in vogue. The question is for how long.

Blue Elephant Capital Management is planning a second fund to buy loans originated on online marketplaces. Unlike its first fund, this one will be unlevered, backed entirely by institutional investors' cash.

The billionaire investor George Soros is in talks to throw his support behind the peer-to-peer finance industry, which is increasingly leaning on traditional capital sources to lower its costs of funding.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last week revised their representation and warranty frameworks to provide lenders clarity on an issue they have long raised as a sticking point in housing reform, and one that some say has made lenders less willing to extend credit.

The Loan Syndications and Trading Association is asking a D.C. Court of Appeals to throw out the final risk retention rules that banking and securities regulators approved last month, arguing it was written in an "arbitrary, capricious" way. That may make other industry groups unhappy.