The Blackstone Group, which has been gobbling up mortgage banking franchises of late, may have its eye on the mortgage insurance space. But for now it does not appear that it plans to rebuild what’s left of PMI Mortgage insurance as a going concern. As usual, the investment banker is saying little about what it plans to do with its “strategic investment” in The PMI Group, a once top-ranked MI that was placed into receivership back in 2012. PMI isn’t talking either. The investment, revealed last week, was made through the Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund. When the announcement was first unveiled, both analysts and MI professionals were left...

Warehouse executives seem optimistic about the immediate outlook for the sector, though some expressed concern how a wave of M&A activity has reduced the number of potential clients.

UST did not identify the mortgage firm selling the product, but described it as “well capitalized” and in “good standing” with Ginnie Mae.

Coester filed suit against the Virginia Real Estate Appraiser Board, charging that the regulator is engaged in “a conspiracy to restrain and monopolize trade” and is operating in violation of antitrust laws.

The judge presiding over the case ruled that securities law regulates "disclosure of information, not the mismanagement of a company...”

The seller was not identified by name, though MountainView refers to the company as “well capitalized” and...

Over the past year, small and medium-sized lenders have dominated the activity in the merger and acquisitions market, but all that could be changing as consolidation fever begins to gather steam and larger, struggling players consider a take-out strategy. Also, the recent announcement that the Blackstone Group would buy a majority stake in Stearns Lending – the nation’s 12th largest originator – has sparked hopes among investment bankers that potential sellers are finally lowering their expectations when it comes to price. An offering book on Stearns had been circulating for at least a year. Meanwhile, analysts who follow Stonegate Mortgage, which ranks 25th among originators, this week suggested...

The nation’s top-ranked warehouse lenders ended the second quarter with $27.2 billion of commitments on their books, a 9.6 percent sequential increase and a handsome 43.8 percent gain from the same period a year earlier, according to survey figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance. The entire warehouse sector, a universe that includes roughly 60 active lenders, posted similar gains as nonbank lenders in the primary market continued to increase market share, which in turn feeds their thirst for financing an ever-increasing pipeline. “Utilization rates have been...[Includes one data table]

The CHLA noted that almost 99 percent of depositories are exempt from exams conducted by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

When the Stearns announcement was made some of its competitors began speculating on what might happen to the acquisitions down the road.