Servicing

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) is speaking out in defense of JPMorgan Chase, calling the U.S. government's lawsuit against the financial institution a case of "no good deed goes unpunished." New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a suit against JPMorgan for the alleged misconduct of Bear Stearns & Co. prior to JPMorgan's acquisition of the failing investment bank, but Frank says the bank is being punished for getting involved at the government's request.

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers, NAMB, recently announced a partnership with The Bond Exchange to offer mortgage license bonds to all members and their companies. The Bond Exchange has a reputation for negotiating bond prices that are at least as low and sometimes lower than other bond issuers.

In Michigan, Edward Surovell Realtors has teamed up with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. Already the top-selling company in the state's Southeastern region, Surovell Realtors has now become a part of the fourth largest real estate organization in the United States.

New home sales jumped 5.7 percent in September to a seasonally adjusted average annualized rate of 389,000, the highest rate since April 2010, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the report to show a sales pace of 385,000. The month-to-month sales improvement was the strongest since February, when sales improved 27,000, or 8.0 percent. While sales numbers improved, both the median and average sales price of a new home dropped.

Impac Mortgage has a new face to help lead its Correspondent Lending Division. Judy Treichler has joined the company as VP and operations manager. Treichler has 15 years of experience in mortgage operations with a focus on customer service, process improvement, and quality control.

The housing sector is showing strength unmatched in previous years, according to Freddie Mac's Economic and Housing Market Outlook for October.

Norcom Mortgage is one of the Top Workplaces of 2012, according to a survey conducted by research firm WorkplaceDynamics, LLP. The Connecticut-based lender was selected as a Top Workplace by The Hartford Courant and FOXCT, local media outlets that partnered with WorkplaceDynamics to recognize exemplary organizations.

Primary Capital has chosen MortgageFlex Systems, Inc.'s LoanQuest origination platform to replace its current system, MortgageFlex announced.

The state of Texas dismissed mortgage fraud charges against a Dallas socialite and former pageant winner, The Dallas Morning News reported. According to the report, the Dallas County district attorney requested to drop three charges brought against socialite and former Miss Georgia Erin Hill.

When it comes to creating sustainable homeownership, some economists are saying the FHA is celebrating results it hasn't actually achieved. In a new study, New York University economics professor Andrew Caplin and his co-authors investigate mortgage risk assessment and the FHA's actual progress toward creating sustainable homeownership. Caplin and his co-authors conclude that the FHA measuring the wrong data and using flawed results to estimate mortgage risk--specifically, the risk related to internally refinanced loans.