Home >> Author Archives: Seth Welborn (page 109)

Author Archives: Seth Welborn

Seth Welborn is a Harding University graduate with a degree in English and a minor in writing. He is a contributing writer for MReport. An East Texas Native, he has studied abroad in Athens, Greece and works part-time as a photographer.

FHA Unveils Rules on Post Payment Charges, ARM Adjustments

The Federal Housing Administration announced revisions to rules surrounding post-payment interest charges and adjustable rate notifications. "Together, these new rules are responsive to the regulations implementing the Truth-in-Lending Act (Regulation Z) as revised last year by the CFPB," the agency said in a release.

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Goldman Sachs, FHFA Settle in RMBS Suit

Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay $3.15 billion to settle a lawsuit filed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) over faulty RMBS. Under the terms of the settlement, Goldman Sachs will pay $2.15 billion to Freddie Mac and about $1 billion to Fannie Mae to buy back the alleged faulty RMBS the two GSEs purchased between 2005 and 2007. FHFA estimates the worth of the settlement to be about $1.2 billion due to the bonds' current value.

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Report: U.S. Attorneys Set Sights on Former Countrywide Exec

U.S. attorneys in Los Angeles are reportedly preparing a civil lawsuit against former Countrywide Financial CEO and co-founder Angelo Mozilo for his alleged role in the subprime boom that led to a financial meltdown. Mozilo continues to be defiant, denying any culpability and saying in a recent deposition that that he had "no regrets" in the way that he managed Countrywide.

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Home Flipping Activity Drops to Two-Year Low

Nationwide sales of flipped homes dropped both quarter-over-quarter and year-over year in the second quarter of 2014 as profit margins shrank, according to RealtyTrac. About 31,000 homes were flipped—bought and sold again within 12 months—in Q2, the company reported, accounting for 4.6 percent of all single-family home sales in the United States.

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HARP Activity Down Again in Second Quarter

The total number of mortgage refinances in the United States experienced a slight increase in June, though activity for the quarter was down overall. The agency also reported a drop in refinances done through the government's Home Affordable Refinance Program, which accounted for an estimated 15.7 percent of refinances completed through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

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CFPB Gives Warning on MSR Transfers

In a bulletin issued Tuesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned mortgage servicers to pay close attention to the new "common-sense" mortgaging rules implemented by the bureau in January 2014, aimed at protecting consumers from being harmed during loan transfers.

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California Home Sales Weakest Since 2008

Real estate data site PropertyRadar reported a slight month-over-month gain in home sales across California in July, but not enough to bring activity up from last year. Sales for single-family homes and condos for the first seven months of 2014 year-to-date are at their lowest levels since 2008, the company said in its latest Real Property Report for the state.

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Investors File Second Suit Over GSE Profits

Following the filing of a separate suit with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, New York-based hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management has filed a second suit against the U.S. government over the handling of GSE profits. In its compliant, Pershing Square suggests that the GSE dividends being diverted into Treasury, which amount to billions of dollars, should be divided among the common shareholders for the GSEs.

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Fannie Forecast Sees Weaker Growth in Housing

A second-quarter rebound combined with an upward revision for economic activity in the first quarter has given a boost to Fannie Mae's 2014 economic forecast. On the housing side, however, the company is less optimistic, downgrading its outlook "following the disappointing housing activity seen during the first half of the year," said Chief Economist Doug Duncan.

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Fannie, Freddie Investors File Another Suit Against U.S.

Investors have filed another lawsuit against the U.S. government, alleging that common stockholders in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been shortchanged. Three individual common shareholders along with Pershing Square Capital Management alleged in their complaint that the diverting of GSE profits into Treasury equates to taking private property for public use without "just compensation," a practice forbidden by the Fifth Amendment.

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