Servicing

Want to live like a kingpin? You're in luck, because according to Zillow, the Florida estate once belonging to Al Capone is on the market for $9.95 million. The legendary gangster moved into the stunning and storied house on Miami Beach's Palm Island in 1928, and he called the seaside property home before and after his imprisonment for tax evasion, living in the luxurious pad until his death in 1947.

Churchill Mortgage announced Monday that it hired Kevin Stafford to serve as its new branch manager for the Memphis, Tennessee, branch location.

After surveying more than 1,800 active home sellers, Redfin found that some of its customers are holding back from selling now because they believe patience will pay off in the form of higher offers for their home. The survey revealed that 38 percent of respondents plan to wait more than a year before selling their home, while 25 percent said they plan on selling now. About 36 percent of homeowners plan on waiting somewhere between 3 months and 12 months. More than a quarter (27 percent) of respondents said now is a bad time to sell as opposed to only 13 percent who said now is a good time to sell.

Expanding its wholesale unit, First Guaranty Mortgage Corp. (FGMC) has appointed a new national wholesale sales manager. The company recently announced that Industry veteran Patricia Trimble has been hired to fill the leadership position.

Looks like the dragon will have to step aside: 2012 is now "The Year of the Housing Recovery," according to RE/MAX. The real estate giant released its National Housing Report for August 2012 (covering July), showing that both sales and prices have posted year-over-year increases for most of 2012. Home sales appear to have peaked year-to-date in June, with July's sales falling 9.4 percent month-over-month. However, sales were up 10.3 percent from July 2011, marking the 13th consecutive month for year-over-year sales gains.

In California, high-end homebuyers have the chance to own a piece of architectural history. According to Curbed, a Usonian home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright has hit the San Anselmo market for $2.5 million.

Wells Fargo faces litigation from Best Medical, Inc., part of Virginia-based TeamBest, which creates and distributes medical products and technology. The litigation, which originated in spring 2010, was elevated to the U.S. federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, about two weeks ago. Best Medical alleges Wells Fargo discriminated against the company when calling commercial mortgage loans. The company claims its commercial mortgage loans were fully performing, and submitted payments upfront.

Home sales and prices climbed in California in July, with median prices nearing a four-year high, according to the California Association of Realtors. The trade group found closed escrow sales approaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 529,230 in July for single-family homes, up 2 percent from June. Sales ticked up to 15.3 percent in July year-over-year. That month marked the fifth straight time that California's median home price went up month-over-month and year-over-year.

Ellie Mae has released the results from its commissioned study on community banks, and the findings reveal that smaller financial institutions fear the effect that new housing finance regulations could have on their mortgage businesses. The survey, which was conducted by T. Aloise & Company, showed that 51 percent of community bank executives listed changing compliance standards as their most significant challenge.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is on a roll lately. On Friday, the agency offered up rules to reduce interest rates, do away with points and fees, and screen mortgage loan officers. In the first of a slew of new rulemaking proposals, the CFPB would require lenders to strip loans of their origination points and discount fees for certain consumers. The proposals would also require background checks for loan officers and bar arbitration clauses for credit insurance practices.