Thornburg Mortgage Underwriters has recommended home loans for ten properties featured in past and present movies that have been nominated for an Academy Award. From Tara in Gone With the Wind to Xanadu in Citizen Kane to Mr. Nebbercracker’s home in Monster House, Hollywood’s Academy Award nominated movies have shown film fans what Dorothy Gale learned after going over the rainbow — there’s no place like home. (more…)

Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) has recently announced that 39 single-family mortgage servicers achieved Tier One Platinum or Tier One Gold performance rankings for superior investor reporting and default management during 2006. Freddie Mac also inducted 15 servicers into its Tier One Hall of Fame for achieving Tier One status for four consecutive years. Freddie Mac is one of the nation’s largest investors in residential mortgages. (more…)

Mortgage Contracting Services (MCS), a property preservation and inspection services provider, has closed out 2006 with increased revenue, a significantly larger employee base and expanded office space. Management attributes MCS’ substantial growth to the company’s reputation in the mortgage servicing industry that has been built by the level of specialized service that each customer receives. (more…)

Misys Banking Systems, a global leader in banking software and solutions, has recently announced that the Latvian bank, JSC Mortgage and Land Bank of Latvia (Mortgage Bank) has extended its licence of Misys Equation for a further eleven years, having reviewed solutions from competitors, including Temenos. (more…)

MFA Mortgage Investments, Inc. (NYSE:MFA) has reported earnings available to common stockholders of $4.4 million, or $0.06 per share of common stock, for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2006. On December 15, 2006, MFA announced its fourth quarter dividend of $0.06 per share of common stock. The dividend was paid on January 31, 2007 to stockholders of record as of December 29, 2006. (more…)

Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE:CFC) has announced that one of its subsidiary companies has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and assume certain liabilities of Chicago-based CCM Futures, LLC (“CCMF”). CCMF, an independent Introducing Broker for futures trading on the Chicago Board of Trade and Chicago Mercantile Exchange, is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the National Futures Association. The acquisition, expected to close later this month, further solidifies Countrywide’s strategic focus on diversifying revenue streams. (more…)

Heritage Capital Credit Corp. announced its subsidiary, Independent Capital Credit Corporation, expects to sell its first commercial contractual obligation for $40 million to the BCLOC Trust which is a Bankruptcy Remote Special Purpose Entity (SPE). The sponsor of the BCLOC Trust, an affiliate of Heritage Capital Credit Corp., expects to secure an institutional investor to purchase the BCLOC Trust Notes. (more…)

Heritage Bankshares, Inc. (“Heritage”; the “Company”) (Pinksheets: HBKS), the parent of Heritage Bank (the “Bank”), today announced unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2006. Net income, after tax, for the year ended December 31, 2006 was $180,000, or $0.10 per diluted share, compared to $809,000, or $0.46 per diluted share, earned in 2005. (more…)

The Board of Directors of AMCORE Financial, Inc., (NASDAQ:AMFI) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.185 per share. The dividend is payable to shareholders of record on March 1, 2007 and is payable March 12, 2007. AMCORE has declared dividends every quarter since its formation in June 1983. (more…)

The National Association of Realtors(R) (NAR) today told a Senate panel that NAR supports stronger anti- predatory lending legislation and more consumer education on nontraditional mortgage products.

In testimony on “Preserving the American Dream: Predatory Lending Practices and Home Foreclosures” presented to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, NAR said that abusive and predatory lending practices are putting our nation’s communities at risk. These practices can cause more families to lose their homes and savings through higher foreclosure rates. The vacancies that result can deflate the value of surrounding homes, as well. (more…)