Mortgage Bankers Association - "Wells Fargo/Wachovia Bank Tops U.S. Commercial/Multifamily Servicers in MBA Mid-Year Rankings Report" (8-27-09)

"The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its mid-year ranking of commercial and multifamily mortgage servicers as of June 30, 2009. On top of the list of firms is Wells Fargo/Wachovia Bank with $476.2 billion in U.S. master and primary servicing, followed by PNC Real Estate/Midland Loan Services with $308.5 billion, Capmark Finance Inc. with $248.7 billion, KeyBank Real Estate Capital with $133.1 billion, Bank of America with $132.2 billion, and GEMSA Loan Services LP with $104.8 billion."

The Automatic Earth - "How to grow your GDP while killing jobs" (8-27-09)

"GDP growth is projected as approaching 4%, while at the same time unemployment hovers close to 10%. In fact, unemployment and GDP both rise simultaneously for a while! And when I noticed that, my first thought was: I don't think that is even possible."

Market Watch - "FDIC: Number of troubled banks rises to 416" (8-27-09)

"The FDIC said that the number of troubled banks rose to 416 at the end of June from 305 at the end of March. This is the largest number of banks on its 'problem list' since June 30, 1994, when 434 banks were on the list, which isn't disclosed by the FDIC."

Inman - "Broken ARMs hurting housing" (8-27-09)

"Between 2004 and 2007, $750 billion in adjustable-rate mortgages -- with very low payments that reset to very high payments in a few years -- were taken out by homeowners, many of whom figured they'd sell or refinance when the rates reset thanks to continually increasing home values (oops). Foreclosures are up, and some analysts see the loans as a threat to a recovery."

Inman - "Google eyes mortgage lending service" (8-27-09)

"Google is planning to launch a service in late August or early September that would provide Web surfers with loan offers from mortgage lenders, according to a lawsuit by LendingTree that seeks to stop the project in its tracks. In its complaint, LendingTree claims that Mortech agreed to make its pricing engine available for use for Google's loan aggregation service. Lending Tree said it had obtained screenshots of a trial version of the new service."

Orange County Register - "O.C. home prices at 11-month high" (8-28-09)

"The most recent median is 15% above the cyclical low hit in January 2009. Prices have been falling on a year-over-year basis since Sept. 2007 with the worst at -31.5% in August 2008."

Bloomberg - "Goldman Sachs Sued by Landlord for $75 Million in Rent Dispute" (8-28-09)

"Goldman Sachs Group Inc. was sued by a Manhattan landlord who alleged the bank violated the terms of its rental agreement by failing to share profits from a sublease of the space. The lease for 180 Maiden Lane required Goldman Sachs to share 50 percent of any profit it might make from subleasing the property to a third party, according to the complaint filed Aug. 26 in New York state court by developer Joseph Moinian’s Almah LLC, a company he controls and which owns the building."

Realty Times - "Investor Report: Bank REO" (8-28-09)

"how much of the fast-rising pace of home sales this summer is attributable to small-scale investors? You can ask Rick Weinberg of REDC's Auction.com, a company that's already sold more than 19,000 foreclosed and REO houses this year for a total of $4.3 billion, and he'll tell you point blank: Investors are HUGE; they've accounted for 48 percent of all his company's volume in 2009."

Realty Times - "Low Mortgage Rates Helping to Stabilize Housing Market" (8-28-09)

"Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.14 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending August 27, 2009, up from last week when it averaged 5.12 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.40 percent."

Realty Times - "Information to Review Before You Get a Mortgage Loan" (8-28-09)

"He says that often borrowers who simply look at the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) don’t consider all the necessary facts to make the best choice. 'The APR includes some information but it doesn’t account for the possibility that the mortgagor may refinance down the road,' says Fu. The study gives the mortgagor a deeper look at this consideration."

Realty Times - "How to Increase Your Gross Commission Income" (8-28-09)

"To really establish or increase your presences in any marketplace you have to take it from someone else. I know a lot of you are going to find that last statement uncomfortable, but it's the truth. There are only so many deals in the higher end marketplace annually. Your efforts will not substantially increase the number of transactions. You can raise awareness and selection of those people who are considering buying and selling, but your efforts have little effect on the total inventory units sold. The marketplace might go up a few transactions but not enough to help you establish a presence."