In a report released Monday, the Collingwood Group said that 65 percent of lenders and other mortgage industry workers support the push for GSE reform, calling their current state of conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency unsustainable. At the same time, none of the survey respondents called for a wind-down or elimination of the GSEs.
Read More »Finalized MI Requirements to Land in Coming Months
Months after the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) first unveiled a rule establishing eligibility requirements for private insurers, the agency informed some of the nation's top firms it doesn't plan to release a finalized rule until close to the end of Q1 2015 or later, according to an announcement from U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI).
Read More »Lawmakers Question ‘Activist’ Inclusion in Big MBS Settlements
Lawmakers are asking why the Justice Department is requiring the lenders to donate money to certain housing counseling agencies approved by HUD as part of their settlements.
Read More »Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Portfolio Continues to Shrink
The balance of Fannie Mae's gross mortgage portfolio stood at $436.2 billion at the end of October, representing a compound annualized rate decline of 5 percent from September, according to the mortgage giant's latest monthly volume summary.
Read More »Business Grows for Second Month at Freddie Mac
According to Freddie Mac's monthly volume summary, released Tuesday, the mortgage giant's total loan portfolio grew last month at an annualized rate of 2.5 percent, the highest growth rate since March 2013.
Read More »FHFA: Loan Limits to Remain Unchanged for 2015
In an release, FHFA announced that the maximum limit for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will stay at $417,000 for single-unit properties in most of the country, with a maximum of $625,500 for certain high-cost areas. Forty-six counties will see an increase based on their own local conditions.
Read More »FHFA Releases Strategic Plan for Years Ahead
The strategic plan outlines three goals for FHFA for the forthcoming fiscal years: ensure safe and sound regulated entities; ensure liquidity, stability, and access in housing finance; and manage the enterprises' ongoing conservatorship.
Read More »Fannie, Freddie Tweak Mortgage Repurchase Reqs
At the direction of their conservator, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced on Thursday updates to their life-of-loan representation and warranty framework in order to provide clarity for lenders regarding the potential risk for repurchase.
Read More »BofA, US Bancorp to Pay $69M in MBS Investor Suit
According to a motion filed with New York's Southern District Court, Bank of America and US Bancorp agreed to pay $69 million to a number of state and local pension funds that lost millions from their investment in MBS purchased from Washington Mutual before its collapse in 2008.
Read More »GSE Reform in a Post-Midterm Congress
To say the Republicans have an uphill battle ahead where GSE reform is concerned is an understatement. The president has the power of the veto pen and while both sides have vowed to work together on areas that they can disagree, the extent to which he would support major Republican led legislation remains to be seen.
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