PERSON OF THE WEEK: Dennis Santiago Tweets The Social Networking Media
popularity of social networking media is rising, and Web sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have been at the forefront of redefining...
REQUIRED READING: You Can Never Have Too Much Transparency
#039;s been called many things: an economic meltdown, a watershed event - even a deep recession. Regardless of the label, the storm has reached...
BLOG VIEW: A Need For A Wartime Consigliere
ivotal scene in Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' comes when Al Pacino, playing newly empowered Michael Corleone, outlines the family's plans for expansion into...
REQUIRED READING: Finding The Missing Piece In The Reconveyance Puzzle
te-level legislation introduced earlier this year proposed that the beneficiary of a trust deed have only 30 days after payoff to deliver a written...
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Edward Elanjian Talks Brownfield Lending
s week, MortgageOrb interviewed Edward Elanjian, executive vice president and chief financial officer at EnviroFinance Group LLC, a commercial mortgage lender specializing in financing...
BLOG VIEW: In TALF We Trust?
r this month, the Federal Reserve Board announced that beginning in June, commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) not only will be eligible collateral under the...
REQUIRED READING: In A Declining Market, Buydowns May Make Sense
commercial real estate developers, builders and investors alike are carefully pondering their next moves and proceeding more cautiously than ever, positive financial opportunities do...
BLOG VIEW: What Is Going On With The FHA?
t happens when the only game in town runs out of cash? There is an excellent chance that we will soon find out the...
REQUIRED READING: The Hope From Reverse Mortgages
old axiom about silver linings within dark clouds holds true in today's industry. Whereas many sectors have either crashed or are struggling to...
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Unity Financial Services’ John Scroggins On HAM, HVCC And REO
s week, MortgageOrb caught up with John Scroggins, CEO of Unity Financial Services, to discuss the government's loan mod program and servicers' strategies for...
BLOG VIEW: Refueling Energy-Efficient Mortgages
t summer, I wrote an article for Secondary Marketing Executive on energy-efficient mortgages (EEMs). The focus of the piece was the seeming contradiction that...
REQUIRED READING: Feeling The Pinch? Get Ahead Of Advances
of the by-products of the current mortgage market is the explosive growth in advances that servicers are now carrying. High delinquency rates, increased...
BLOG VIEW: No To Cramdowns, But Yes To Safe Harbor
U.S. Senate has denied Sen. Richard Durbin's most recent attempt to empower bankruptcy judges to modify loans, giving the mortgage banking industry a...
REQUIRED READING: From The Securitized Lending Model Back To The Portfolio Mindset
ost daily, I read reports predicting that commercial property values will decline anywhere from 20% to 40% by the time the capital crisis ends....
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Sue Allon And The Value Of Due Diligence
t role did the lack of due diligence play in the creation of the current crisis? And how can mortgage bankers use due diligence...
BLOG VIEW: About The FASB Capitulation
lier this month, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) announced it was changing FAS 157, its mark-to-market accounting rules. For the most part, FASB...
REQUIRED READING: The Crisis In Warehouse Lending
are a serious movie lover, you will recall 'Network,' a dark comedy from 1976 about the television news business. In the film, the...
BLOG VIEW: Harry Macklowe’s 6th Avenue Heartache
krupt retail REIT General Growth Properties may be the most visible fallen star in commercial real estate right now, but as the recession continues...
REQUIRED READING: REO Nation: How Creative Disposition Can Aid Communities
ry day, more statistics are released that confirm what most of us in the industry already fear: The mortgage crisis probably has a way...
PERSON OF THE WEEK: Why Christopher Grey Opposes Bank Bailouts
s week, MortgageOrb spoke with Christopher Grey, managing partner and co-founder of Third Wave Partners. The El Segundo, Calif.-based firm focuses on distressed real...