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Author Archives: Tory Barringer

Tory Barringer began his journalism career in early 2011, working as a writer for the University of Texas at Arlington's student newspaper before joining the DS News team in 2012. In addition to contributing to DSNews.com, he is also the online editor for DS News' sister publication, MReport, which focuses on mortgage banking news.

Consumer Sentiment Disappoints in Preliminary Reading

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment came in at 79.2 in the preliminary August reading, down from a final reading of 81.8 in July and several points below the consensus forecast of 82.3. It was the lowest reading since last November, when the country was still shaking off the effects of October's government shutdown.

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Groups Offer Guidance on Proposed G-Fee Hike

As the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) mulls over a proposed increase in guarantee fees, a new report from the Urban Institute (UI) suggests the agency faces a more difficult task than one might assume. In a commentary released Thursday, UI authors Laurie Goodman, Ellie Seidman, Jim Parrott, and Jun Zhu say that, based on their modeling, g-fee determination "is an art, not a science—and more like a Jackson Pollock than a da Vinci."

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Cash Sales Share Hits 4-Year Low

Home sales transacted in cash slipped again in May, falling to a four-year low but remaining elevated compared to the long-run average. According to sales data put together by CoreLogic, cash sales made up 34.4 percent of total home sales in May, down from 37.4 percent a year prior. It was the lowest share since May 2010, when all-cash sales started ramping up to an eventual peak of 46.2 percent in January 2011.

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80% of Lenders Shy Away from Non-QM Business

In a follow-up piece on the company's inaugural Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey, Li-Ning Huang, senior manager of Economic and Strategic Research at Fannie Mae, found that most of the lenders surveyed don't plan to change their current strategy in response to January's regulatory changes, with 46 percent saying they plan to "wait and see" what happens in the market before acting.

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Shareholder Firm Files Class Action Against Ocwen

In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for Southern Florida, the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, a firm focused on representing investors, accused the Atlanta-based mortgage company of failing to disclose to its shareholders that its servicing practices "violated applicable regulations and laws" and that its executives were involved in funneling millions of dollars in fees through Altisource Portfolio Solutions, a related company.

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FHFA Requests Input in Building Common GSE Security

In the first step of what is planned to be a multi-year effort, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has put out a request for industry input on the development of a common mortgage-backed security (MBS) designed to be issued and guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

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