Secondary Market

In Colorado, Urban Lending Solutions (ULS) announced the hiring of industry experts Ken Harthausen and Julie Bussey.

As the first government shutdown in nearly 20 years marches on, the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) David Stevens is urging lawmakers to consider the impact that an ongoing shutdown will have on the housing market. Stevens, president and CEO of the trade group, pointed out that while furloughs are currently impacting the out-of-work government employees the most, the effects of a long-term crisis are sure to spread, with lenders having to wait for tax transcripts, Social Security number verification, and other required items.

Real estate agents say the housing market is beginning to shift from seller control, and they expect price gains to moderate over the next several months, according to the latest survey from Redfin.

Jay Brinkmann, chief economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), has announced that he will retire in early 2014.

National home prices will rise 4.8 percent over the next year, according to a third-quarter forecast from Veros Real Estate Solutions, a risk management, valuation services, and analytics firm based in Santa Ana, California. Regionally, Veros predicts continued strengthening in the West and a lag in the Northeast and parts of the South. The top 10 markets labeled by Veros' forecast are all located in Western states: Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

The StoneHill Group, which offers mortgage quality control, due diligence, compliance audits, and more, has hired Stephen M. Witters as system administrator.

Fiserv, Inc., a provider of technology solutions for the financial services industry, says lenders and servicers seeking help to maintain compliance should look no further than the LoanComplete suite.

CredAbility and ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions announced Tuesday that they have agreed to merge effective December 31, 2013.

Wells Fargo and SunTrust Mortgage are the two most recent companies to settle over claims regarding representations and warranties on single-family loans sold to the GSE.

Though recent reports seem to indicate a hitch in the ongoing housing recovery, Fitch Ratings maintains its expectations of a healthy increase in housing metrics through this year and the next. "As we have noted previously, recovery in the housing market will likely occur in fits and starts and housing absolute numbers are still low relative to past cycles," the company said in its latest analysis. "Expansion should not be expected as a total slope upward, as there are a number of variables that intervene."