Finance

Banks unloading real-estate-owned properties face some tough choices, such as whether to auction off homes or sell them to investors, and whether to fix them up first. But whatever they decide, the real challenge is to avoid dragging down property values from their already-depressed 25% to 30% discounts.

Nationstar Mortgage, Lewisville, Texas, is in the hunt for Aurora Loan Services (ALS) and appears to be the leading bidder at this point, according to investment banking advisors close to the situation.

Fixed mortgage rates moved higher in the week ending Feb. 23 in response to the recent sell-off related to favorable economic news and progress on Greece.

The news that Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO) dropped out of the American Securitization Forum (ASF) highlights the growing discontent among securitization buyside members who feel they have no real voice within the organization.

Philips Electronics N.V. is in the market for a $431 million credit tenant lease. The Netherlands-based electronics giant looks to expand its physical presence at a research and development campus, a source said.

The nation's new housing commissioner has a message for the mortgage industry: Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insurance guarantees are falling – and that's a good thing.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is reportedly asking for bids for the remaining RMBS in its Maiden Lane II (ML II) portfolio.

The Obama Administration is pushing back against a recent news report that concluded U.S. taxpayers will subsidize the roughly $25 billion mortgage settlement.

Moody's Investors Service on Wednesday finalized its methodology for structured finance interest only securities.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) has announced that the Morgan Stanley Opportunistic Mortgage Income Fund LP, which is a fund for RMBS and CMBS investments, held its final close with over $450 million in capital commitments.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) wants to make GSE loan buyback policies more transparent, eliminating uncertainty in the secondary market while encouraging lenders to fund new loans.

Mortgage application activity declined 4.5% in the week ending Feb. 17 with refinance and purchase activity lower, even as there was only a slight change in mortgage rates.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) new proposal for GSE reform brings little new to the table, securitization experts said.

Volkswagen Leasing GmbH is in the market with a new €718.5 million ($950 million) securitization of German auto lease receivables.

David Nelms may never escape his underdog status. But he's gotten adept at using it to his advantage.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is turning its attention to short sales as part of its “servicing alignment” project.

UGL Services has launched a new group to provide financial analytics support and advisory services for commercial real estate distressed assets, leasing deals and capital markets-related transactions.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) expressed its support for the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) proposals issued today on the next steps in GSE conservatorship.

Should Ally Financial break itself up, Wells Fargo & Co. would be a "likely buyer" of its North American automobile finance business because it is "one of the few large banks" that could afford the estimated $68 billion it would fetch, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts wrote in a research note Tuesday.

Knight Capital hired several former MF Global mortgage credit sales and trading experts including Michael Corsi as managing director in mortgage sales and Rus Margolin as managing director in non-agency trading.