Tag Archives: Bank of America

Fannie Mae's Q4 earnings report shows the mortgage behemoth earned a quarterly net income of $7.6 billion in Q4 and an annual net income of $17.2 billion throughout 2012.

Wells Fargo has another jewel to add to its crown: The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) ranked the bank as the top commercial/multifamily mortgage originator for 2012. Among other categories: Bank of America Merrill Lynch was the top originator for commercial bank loans, while Red Mortgage Capital, LLC was No. 1 for loans guaranteed by Ginnie Mae or the Federal Housing Administration. Cohen Financial was the top originator for specialty finance.

The story of the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) scandal added another chapter in March as Freddie Mac brought suit against Barclays, Bank of America, Citibank, and several other institutions for investment losses related to alleged rate-rigging practices.

Employment in the mortgage industry reached a post-crisis high in 2012, according to data from Mortgage Daily's Mortgage Employment Index. The index showed a gain of 2,571 jobs during last year's fourth quarter, making it the sixth straight quarter to post an increase. However, job growth wasn't as strong as the third quarter, which saw 2,926 mortgage jobs created. For the entire year, the mortgage industry gained 8,978 new jobs, more than twice what was gained in 2011 (4,320).

Mortgage origination volume continued to climb in 2012, according to data from Mortgage Daily's 2012 Mortgage Lender Ranking. According to data collected from surveys, earnings filings, and other public disclosures, loan volume across all lending firms grew 30 percent annually in 2012. In the fourth quarter alone, Mortgage Daily reports residential originations coming in around 3 percent above third-quarter volume. Year-over-year, Q4 saw mortgage production grow 17 percent.

The servicers involved in last year's settlement have provided assistance in the amount of $45.83 billion to 550,000 homeowners, according to the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight.

Ally has satisfied its consumer relief obligations required under last year's National Mortgage Settlement (NMS), according to settlement monitor Joseph Smith Jr.

Bank brand values across the globe are on the rise, charting their highest values ever and double their values in 2009, during the financial crisis, according to the results of an annual study by Brand Finance. The most valuable bank brand worldwide is Wells Fargo, with a $26 billion brand, according to the study.

In a joint announcement, KB Home and Nationstar Mortgage LLC announced an agreement to form Home Community Mortgage, LLC, a limited liability company offering a range of mortgage banking services to KB Home customers. As KB Home's preferred lender, Nationstar has served homebuyers on-site in the builder's communities across the country. According to the announcement, Nationstar will remain KB Home's preferred choice until Home Community Mortgage's launch, which is scheduled for the latter half of 2013.

Bank of America and Citigroup both released their fourth-quarter earnings Thursday, revealing the scars their legacy mortgage issues have left. BofA reported net income of $732 million, a significant decline from $2 billion in Q4 2011. The bank did better on a year-long scale, coming in at $4.2 billion (well above its $1.4 billion income in 2011). Legal expenses also weighed down profits at Citigroup, though the company did manage to come out ahead on a yearly basis with a $1.2 billion profit in Q4.