A dialogue with United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Benjamin Carson opened up the 2018 Five Star Government Forum in Washington D.C. Tuesday. Click through for full coverage from the event, which brings together leaders from both government and the housing industry.
Read More »Presidential Candidates Urged to Reform Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
Edward Demarco challenges the issue of taxpayers guaranteeing repayment for three out of every four mortgages by suggesting that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac be reformed and removed from taxpayers pockets.
Read More »FHFA Official Charged with Threatening Ex-Director
A top official for the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is looking at a felony charge for allegedly threatening the agency's former acting director, Edward DeMarco. According to a case summary from the District of Columbia Courts website, Richard Hornsby, FHFA's COO, was charged in late April with "[threatening] to kidnap or injure a person," resulting in an order for him to stay away from DeMarco.
Read More »Servicing, Political Leaders Meet to Tackle Today’s Challenges
Policymakers and servicing leaders gathered Tuesday at the Newseum in the nation’s capital for the fifth annual Five Star Government Forum, an all-day event created to foster honest and open dialogue about the servicing industry’s most pressing challenges. In case you missed it, we captured a few photos highlighting the day’s events and the lineup of speakers—including some of the most influential names in housing and servicing today.
Read More »DeMarco Announces Plans to Leave FHFA
After serving the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) for nearly six years, former acting director and current senior deputy director Edward DeMarco announced his intent to part ways with the agency at the end of April. DeMarco confirmed his departure plans in a letter directed to current agency director Mel Watt, saying, "I believe the time has come for me to seek other opportunities."
Read More »Uncertainty to Permeate New Year Despite Some Regulatory Clarity
The new year will bring some clarity to the housing market and likely some loosening of credit, though an air of mystery does still surround some aspects of the industry, according to FBR's outlook for 2014. With Mel Watt, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina, taking the helm at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and three openings at the Federal Reserve, some uncertainty persists despite some clarity surrounding Qualified Mortgages (QM) and other regulations in the housing industry.
Read More »FHFA Announces Plans to Combine Divisions
As the newly confirmed Mel Watt prepares to take the reins at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), current Acting Director Edward DeMarco has announced changes to the agency's senior staff.
Read More »FHFA Directs GSEs to Increase Guarantee Fees
As part of its "Strategic Plan for Enterprise Conservatorships," the Federal Housing Finance Agency has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to bring up their guarantee fees (g-fees). Based on the GSEs' loan purchases in Q3 2013, FHFA expects the announced changes to the g-fee structure to produce an overall average g-fee increase of approximately 11 basis points, which represents an average increase of 14 basis points on a typical 30-year mortgage.
Read More »Does the Senate’s ‘Nuclear Option’ Clear the Way for New FHFA Head?
Now that Senate Democrats have changed the chamber's rules to block filibusters of executive appointments, analysts anticipate a much easier path for Rep. Mel Watt.
Read More »Report: Recovery Suffering from ‘Broken’ Housing Policies
A new report published by the Opportunity Agenda, National Fair Housing Alliance, and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) claims that the U.S. housing policy is broken.
Read More »