The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently issued an update to mortgage-backed security (MBS) structure, also known as Single Security. The new changes to the Single Security structure are based on 23 responses to a “Request for Public Input: Proposed Single Security Structure (RFI)” released in August 2014 by the FHFA.
Read More »New York Fed Reports that Mortgage Balances Place Hold on Debt
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) released their Household Debt and Credit Report this week that showed household debt balances including, mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and student loans were “largely flat for Q1 2015.”
Read More »Index Shows Housing Affordability Up for Q1
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released the results of their index today, noting that housing affordability nationwide received a boost for Q1 2015 due to low home prices and interest rates.
Read More »$45 Billion Deal Finalized Between Chase and Ocwen
An Agency mortgage servicing rights deal worth approximately $45 billion between Chase and Ocwen Financial Corp. has been finalized after two and a half months, according to an announcement from Chase on Thursday. Ocwen first announced on March 2 it had signed a letter of intent to sell the $45 billion portfolio, which includes about 266,000 high-quality Fannie Mae loans, to an anonymous buyer.
Read More »Student Loans Not Affecting Credit Access of Millennials
A TransUnion study discovered that in spite of the rises in student-loan balances for the past decade, younger consumers have not allowed loan obligations to hinder repayment of other credit-related items such as auto loans and mortgages when compared with peers with no student loans. These findings place a contradiction on the belief that student debt is preventing young adults from accessing credit.
Read More »All Federal Home Loan Banks Record Positive Net Income
At this year's Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks) directors' conference, speaker FHFA Director Melvin L. Watt, delivered a speech regarding the past year of positive developments that occurred in these 12 banks.
Read More »Renting vs. Buying: HOA Fees May Make Renting More Appealing than Buying
Recent results from Trulia’s Rent vs. Buy Report reveals that purchasing a home with a traditional 30-year mortgage and 20 percent down payment is cheaper than renting, but additional fees from the homeowner association (HOA) can make renting seem more appealing especially for New York and Honolulu residents whose HOA fees are considerably higher.
Read More »HFPC Panel Addresses Servicing Hot-Topics
Mortgage service regulations have not yet fully caught up with significant industry changes over the past five years, according to an Urban Wire blog post by the Urban Institute and author Karan Kaul.
Read More »Study Shows Millennials Pose Less Credit Risk than Gen Xers or Boomers
Millennials, which are viewed by many analysts as the key to driving the housing market recovery, are actively seeking credit but largely being denied, according to a white paper released Tuesday by ID Analytics titled "Millennials: High Risk or Untapped Opportunity?"
Read More »CFPB and HUD Secretary Castro Address Housing Choice Voucher Program
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a bulletin to help mortgage lenders evade illegal discrimination against applicants that include vouchers from the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Homeownership Program in their income when applying for a mortgage loan. This type of discrimination may violate federal fair lending protections.
Read More »