Mortgages

Commercial real estate lending and mortgages are banks' main source of hope to beat lukewarm expectations for the earnings season that begins Tuesday.

Lenders and real estate agents may have to extend the usual 30-day timelines for rate locks and sales contracts while they get acclimated to the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau mortgage disclosures that take effect in October.

JPMorgan Chase has continued to take steps towards satisfying its portion of the residential mortgage-backed securities settlement, according to the independent monitor put in place to track the bank's progress.

The delinquency rate on loans backed by the value of consumers' homes hit a postcrisis low in the first quarter, according to the American Bankers Association.

Mortgage originators willing to help consumers overcome traditional financing hurdles can add more emerging segments of home buyers as clients.

The Federal Housing Administration wants to set a hard deadline for servicers to file claims on soured mortgages. Industry executives say it should be manageable — unless foreclosures surge again.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling that the disparate impact theory of liability can be applied to the Fair Housing Act means mortgage lenders must be even more vigilant in their ongoing testing and evaluation of business practices that could be interpreted as even unintentional discrimination.

BOK Financial has hired Glenn Brunker to oversee mortgage operations and manage the bank's transition to a new federally-required consolidated mortgage disclosure regime.

Allowing real estate investment trusts to bridge the capital need for affordable housing could help de-escalate a rising public funding crisis.

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights wants to recapitalize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to provide a secure source of funding for affordable housing.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency wants to exclude mortgage real estate investment trusts from membership in the Federal Home Loan Banks. That would be a major setback for the entry-level borrowers who depend on mortgage REITs for sustainable home-financing options.

The Federal Housing Administration's new loan defect "taxonomy" may give lenders better clarity on the quality assurance reviews of FHA loans, but it's not a shield from possible enforcement action by the Department of Justice and other regulators.

Citigroup failed one of the monitoring tests performed as part of the national mortgage settlement, according to new reports filed by NMS monitor Joseph Smith A. Jr.

FHFA report shows FHLBs are well capitalized while Fannie and Freddie continue to see improving loan performance.

Farmers Bank & Trust in Great Bend, Kan., has agreed to sell certain assets of its mortgage division to Prospect Mortgage in Sherman Oaks, Calif.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service is raising the cost of its home-loan guarantees that enable borrowers to purchase homes in certain areas without down payments.

Despite some silver lining, analysts say the Supreme Court decision upholding "disparate impact" in fair-lending disputes will only embolden activists and regulators to bring more cases.

RiverNorth Capital Management is seeking to establish a closed-end fund that would serve as a source of permanent capital for so-called peer-to-peer lenders.

If Congress fails to extend the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Relief Act, thousands of homeowners still suffering from the effects of the housing crisis could be forced to pay federal income tax on loan modifications or foreclosures.

Citigroup said Jonathan Larsen will add oversight of U.S. consumer banking and mortgages to his role as global head of retail banking, the first major management changes announced under new consumer chief Stephen Bird.