Monday Morning Cup of Coffee

A look at stories across HousingWire’s weekend desk, with more coverage to come on bigger issues: As of late Sunday, President Obama and Congress had yet to agree on extending the nation’s $14.2 trillion debt ceiling. Lawmakers have about a week to reach an accord before the Aug. 2 deadline set by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Failing to do so may result in the United States defaulting on its obligations. Whole Loan Capital is coming to market this week with the private placement of a servicing portfolio of $553 million residential loans. The company said the offering is on an exclusive basis. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are investors in 71% of the offering, Wells Fargo and Bank of America 26% with other investors accounting for about 2.5%. The portfolio includes 2,400 home loans with an average balance of $230,000 and average seasoning of 78 months. Roughly 92% of the mortgages are current, 6.5% are seriously delinquent, 1% are 30-days late and 0.5% are at least 60-days past due. One-third of the loans are in California, 9% in New York, 8% in Colorado, 5% in Virginia and 4% in Florida. In addition to the weekly economic indicators due this week, the latest Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index comes out Tuesday. The widely watched index rose for the first time in eight months in April, inching up 0.8%. The Commerce Department releases new home sales figures for June on Tuesday, as well. Sales fell 2.1% in May to 319,000 units from a revised 326,000 units the previous month. In February, new home sales declined 17% from a month earlier to the lowest level recorded. Meanwhile, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau begins its first full week of activity. On Friday, the new regulator issued its first substantial rule to the Federal Register filling a regulatory gap for alternative mortgage originations. Late Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a bill to restructure the CFPB and provide more power to the agency’s oversight committee. President Obama has said he will veto any bill designed to change the power structure of the CFPB. Senate Republicans want a board to lead the new federal regulator rather than a single executive. Three banks failed last week, bringing the 2011 total to 58. About 300 banks failed in 2009 and 2010, with 157 last year alone, which was the highest level since 1982. The Colorado Division of Banking closed Bank of Choice in Greeley, Colo., last week. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. entered an agreement with Bank Midwest in Kansas City, Mo., to assume all of the deposits and most of the assets of Bank of Choice. At March 31, the 17 branches of Bank of Choice had total assets of about $1.07 billion and $924.9 million in total deposits. The Florida Office of Financial Regulation closed the two branches of Southshore Community Bank in Apollo Beach, Fla., and the six branches of LandMark Bank of Florida in Sarasota, Fla. American Momentum Bank of Tampa, Fla., agreed to acquire all the assets and deposits of both failed institutions in the state. Southshore Community Bank listed deposits of $45.3 million and total assets of $46.3 million at March 31. LandMar Bank had assets of $275 million and deposits of $246.7 million at the end of the second quarter. The FDIC estimates the cost to its Deposit Insurance Fund will be $256.3 million for the banks shuttered last week. Write to Jason Philyaw.