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Secondary Market

StellarOne Resolves Repurchase Claims With Primary Mortgage Investor

Lenders across the country are facing demands from mortgage investors to buy back faulty loans. Analysts praised Bank of America's settlement with the GSEs earlier the month for setting a precedent that other banks could follow to reconcile with investors, but some community lenders are already ahead of the game. StellarOne Corporation in Virginia says it has reached an agreement with one of its primary mortgage investors to resolve repurchase and indemnification claims to the tune of $1.45 million.

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Veros’ Valuation Platform Ready for New GSE Appraisal Requirements

Veros announced Monday that its VeroSELECT valuation management platform now gives lenders the ability to order, manage, and electronically deliver appraisals in compliance with the new requirements mandated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP). These initiatives are part of the GSEs' program intended to standardize and drive data quality to benefit the entire mortgage industry.

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Industry Responds to Massachusetts Foreclosure Ruling

The Friday ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court that invalidated two foreclosures by U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo has prompted an outpouring of responses from the industry, and many are wondering if the ruling will have far reaching effects on other foreclosure sales. The Supreme Court ruled the banks did not have the legal right to foreclose on homes in the state because they did not have proper documentation to prove they owned the mortgages at the time of foreclosure.

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Massachusetts Court Voids Foreclosures, Citing Note Transfer Errors

The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled Friday that U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo did not have the legal right to foreclose on two homes in the state, invalidating the lenders' seizure of the properties and raising further questions about foreclosure documentation - this time related to the proper transfer of ownership on mortgages packaged as securities. Analysts warn that the decision could have far-reaching implications on loans that have already been liquidated, those in the process of foreclosure, and sales of bank-owned homes.

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Rep. Bachmann Introduces Bill to Repeal Dodd-Frank

Members of the 112th Congress were sworn in just days ago, and already lawmakers are making big waves. Rep. Michele Bachmann introduced legislation Thursday to repeal the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill that calls for the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to set tighter regulations for mortgage lending and servicing, and outlines new secondary market rules intended to curb risk-taking by mortgage lenders. Congressman Barney Frank rebuked Bachmann's move as a return to the days of irresponsible and over-leveraged lending.

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Trepp: CMBS Delinquencies Hit Record High Despite Market Optimism

The delinquency rate for loans held in commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) rose again in December with the percentage of loans 30 or more days delinquent, in foreclosure, or REO climbing 27 basis points to 9.20 percent, according to data released this week by Trepp LLC. The tracking firm says it's the highest delinquency rate in history for U.S. commercial real estate loans in CMBS. The value of delinquent loans now exceeds $61.5 billion.

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Pitch for National Mortgage Servicing Rules Gains Momentum

The call for federal officials to establish industry-wide mortgage servicing and foreclosure standards is getting louder. A group of more than 50 senior economists, academic leaders, and influential investors sent a letter to the heads of federal regulatory agencies Tuesday, urging them to take the lead in setting national standards for mortgage loan servicers. The group argues that widely reported fraud in servicers' dealings with homeowners and foreclosure procedures demands new standards be adopted now.

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Veteran of CRE Liquidations Launches Florida Asset Management Firm

Peter Monroe was president of the oversight board of the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) in the early 1990s. During his tenure there, he lent his expertise to unwinding hundreds of billions of commercial mortgages from insolvent savings and loan (S&L) institutions. With the current real estate downturn, such skills are in demand again, and Monroe has his sights set on the Florida commercial property market.

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Commercial Property Prices Up 3.2% from Last Year: Moody’s

Moody's Investors Service says its gauge of commercial property prices rose 1.3 percent from September to October, marking the second consecutive monthly increase recorded by the company. According to the Moody's/REAL Commercial Property Price Index released this week, as of the end of October, prices nationally were up 3.2 percent from their year-ago levels. Even with the recent gains, the index is down 34.4 percent from two years ago, illustrating just how steep commercial property values have plunged.

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SEC Subpoenas Big Banks’ Mortgage Securitization Documents

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating lenders' procedures for packaging home mortgages into securities bonds for sale to investors. Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the probe, says the SEC sent subpoenas last week to Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Wells Fargo. The subpoenas focus on the earliest stage of the mortgage securitization process, in particular, the role of master servicers.

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