The 2015 Winter Symposium again will be hosted at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, from February 17-20.  The 2015 Winter Symposium will feature more hot topics for recorders and the business sector.  There will be general sessions interspersed with work group meetings and small group discussions offering opportunities to continue developing relationships with all attendees. The Planning Committee, chaired by Kathy Haiker, Ottawa Co., MI, and Liz Kelly, Ernst Publishing, are working in conjunction with the Board of Directors to design the program. For hotel reservations, click here.  A preliminary schedule, along with registration and sponsor information, is also now available.  

The number of mortgages refinanced grew by four percentage points in October from September, according to an Ellie Mae report. The Pleasanton, California based mortgage software company said refi production volume hit its highest level in six months, making up 40% of all loans originated. Ellie Mae's data came from a sampling of 57% of mortgage applications made through the company's Encompass origination software.

"Refinancing activity in October was at the highest level since March of this year, thanks largely to the current interest rate environment," Jonathan Corr, president and chief operating officer of Ellie Mae, said in a press release. Ellie Mae also reports that the average rate for a 30-year mortgage loan fell to 4.371%, its lowest point since July 2013.

Under the proposal, servicers would also be required to apply the same rules to any person who inherits the mortgage or property from the original borrower, rather than only doing so when the borrower is deceased.

"The consumer bureau is committed to ensuring that homeowners and struggling borrowers are treated fairly by mortgage servicers and that no one is wrongly foreclosed upon," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray in a press release. "This proposal would give greater protections to mortgage borrowers."

The proposal comes in addition to the mortgage servicing rules that took effect in January which require servicers to maintain accurate records of mortgages and payments regardless of how many times the loan was sold; and to help struggling borrowers. (Read complete article.)

Two new Michigan counties, Berrien and St. Joseph, have made electronic recording of land documents and records available to customers through Simplifile. With the addition of eRecording in Berrien and St. Joseph, there are now 25 Michigan counties  that have implemented Simplifile's eRecording service, joining more than 1,200 eRecording jurisdictions nationwide.