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The U.S. may be following through on promise made a few months ago to target individual executives from the Royal Bank of Scotland and JPMorgan Chase for their alleged criminal role in financial crisis. In September, the Department of Justice issued a memo to all U.S. state attorneys general stating that it will pursue the prosecution of individuals whose actions brought on the Great Recession of seven years ago. The DOJ is reportedly standing by their word and pursuing criminal cases against executives at these two banking institutions for allegedly selling flawed mortgage securities after being warned by associates of their wrongdoings.

“This provision would politicize monetary policy and bring short-term political pressures into the deliberations of the FOMC by putting into place real-time second guessing of policy decisions,” Yellen wrote in the letter. “Such action would undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve and likely lead to an increase in inflation fears and market interest rates, a diminished status of the dollar in global financial markets, and reduced economic and financial stability.”

Home builder sentiment fell three points in November to levels more consistent with the second half of 2015 after an upward rise in October to the highest level since 2005.

Commentary is an ongoing series on theMReport.com that focuses on opinions, ideas, and insights from experts across mortgage banking. Recovery in the housing market is said to be the key to a robust economic in America. Lou Giserman of The Collingwood Group discusses how continuing improvement in the housing market, which has yet to fully recover from the recession, is giving the economy a much-needed boost.

The Appraisal Foundation, an organization that sets Congressionally-authorized standards and qualifications for real estate appraisers, and provides voluntary guidance on recognized valuation methods and techniques for all valuation ...

LRES, a national REO and appraisal management company offering property valuations, asset management, HOA and technology solutions for the mortgage industry, announced that the company has hired Mike Rasooli as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac CEOs will not be receiving the multi-million dollar pay raises proposed by their conservator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, earlier this year. The U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 2036 by voice vote on Monday night, placing a cap on the salaries of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac CEOs right at the original amount of $600,000 per year.

Democratic presidential candidates deliberated recently in their second primary debate, ultimately determining that something must be done about Wall Street banks.

The Federal Housing Administration's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund gained $19 billion in economic value during Fiscal Year 2015, pushing its capital ratio past the 2 percent threshold required by Congress, according to HUD’s annual report to Congress released Monday morning.

Satisfaction among mortgage customers has improved overall this year as lenders have shifted their focus to developing functional digital channels and improving operational efficiency.