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Author Archives: Sandra Lane

Sandra Lane has extensive experience covering the default servicing industry. She contributed regularly to DS News' predecessor, REO Magazine, from 2004 to 2006, covering local market trends, the effects of macroeconomic shifts on market conditions, and "big-picture" analyses of industry-driving indicators. But her understanding of the mortgage and real estate business extends even beyond those pre-crisis days. She is a former real estate broker and grew up in what she calls "a real estate family." A journalism graduate of the University of North Texas, she has written articles for various newspapers and trade journals, as well as company communications for several major corporations.

Shuffling the Deck: Staying Ahead of the Housing Recovery

Housing Recovery

In the housing industry, the only constant is change. In an economy that is still on the road to housing recovery and an industry that is still in a period of consolidation after the biggest financial downturn since the Great Depression, the best in the business are nimble on their feet and adaptable to the set of circumstances that is presented.

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Employment Cuts Reflect Changes in Mortgage Industry

Although employment is being reduced, the need for certain types of talent is more critical than ever, according to Rick Glass, founder of R.T. Glass & Associates, one of the mortgage banking industry's leaders in executive search since 1993.

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Sale of Delinquent Whole Loans Creating Hot Market for Investors

In recent months, institutional investors seem to prefer buying non-performing loans instead of more solvent ones, according to David LeBlanc, managing director of capital markets at DebtX. His company is the world’s largest online loan sale advisor for buyers and sellers of commercial, consumer, and specialty finance debt.

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New QM Rules Produce Higher Costs and Elevated Risk Factors

2015 HUD

Although the new QM rules are expected to bring stability to loan manufacturing, the many nuances of compliance have resulted in doubling the cost of loan origination. This assessment was offered by Tom Showalter, Chief Analytic Officer at Digital Risk, a top provider of risk, compliance, and transaction management solutions.

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New Lending Rules Inspire Criticism

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the new lending rules that went into effect on January 10 are meant to take a back-to-basics approach to mortgage lending and lower the risk of default and foreclosure among borrowers. However, many industry veterans feel the rules may hurt those they are designed to protect, primarily low income borrowers.

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Economist Discusses Positive, Negative Influences on Economic Growth

The overall outlook for the 2014 economy in the United States is optimistic, but guarded, according to Dr. Lynn Reaser, chief economist at the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute in San Diego. Although her forecast is more optimistic than in past years, Reaser discussed many areas of risk, including the expanding federal deficit. """"There is no text book on unwinding a $4 trillion balance sheet; it's simply never been done,"""" Reaser said.

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Morningstar Executive Gives Assessment of New CFPB Rules

Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new rules, servicers will have to provide very detailed and accurate information to borrowers about each aspect of their loans and any foreclosure procedures that may occur, according to Richard Koch, SVP at Morningstar Credit Ratings. Koch believes the new regulations will provide opportunity for some, but hardships for others because of the increased burden of time and expense necessary for compliance.

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Capital Markets Veteran Outlines New Method of Home Financing

Perhaps you've known someone who raised money for a documentary or civic project by making an appeal through crowdfunding on the Internet. Now, the concept of pooled resources is being used as an investment vehicle offering equity in homeownership to investors and loan assistance to selected prospective homeowners.

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Nationstar Shifts Focus to Servicing

Mortgage originators and servicing companies are facing the reality of decreasing new loan volumes and the entrance of new players to the industry, forcing them to reassess where the best sources of revenue can be found. Following an abrupt drop in its stock price, Nationstar recently announced the sale of its wholesale channel, indicating a shift toward its servicing business, and others appear to be following suit.

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M&T Bank Takes Action to Help Unemployed Borrowers

Who ever heard of banks helping their unemployed borrowers find jobs? Though it may be hard to believe, this concept is becoming a reality thanks to a company in Bend, Oregon. Realizing that job loss in the current economy is the major reason homeowners default on their mortgages, management of M&T Bank announced they'll be offering a pilot program of the company's services to their unemployed borrowers at no cost.

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