Tag Archives: FHA

As splintering debt-ceiling negotiations unnerved analysts and ratings agencies, Treasury yields and mortgage rates remained relatively stable over the weekend, reflecting a widespread consensus among investors and market watchers that partisan divisions would soon give way to a grand bargain between policymakers. CNN reported Sunday that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) refused to agree to a set of conditions at the White House, ending dramatic four-month-long negotiations.

Recent news reports show homebuyers flocking to high-end properties to close rates for jumbo loan mortgages, even as Congress wavers on a proposed bill that would cement higher thresholds for federally insured mortgages.

With recent reports signaling a throwback for public officials involved in debt-ceiling negotiations, housing analysts and market watchers worry about the possible fallout for government-backed mortgages in a default scenario come August. If the federal government defaults on its debt, analysts say, still-brittle mortgage markets will splinter as mortgage rates follow spikes in Treasury yields. Concerns continue to grow after a series of breakdowns between Congress and the White House.

On Tuesday Ginnie Mae gave the green-light to mortgage lender and servicer Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC to issue single-family mortgage-backed securities, allowing the company to package and securitize FHA loans.

On Monday lawmakers introduced a bill that would extend the current conforming loan limits for another two years a deal that could continue federal insurance for homeowners with high conforming jumbo loans. Rep. John Campbell (R-California) and Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-New York) co-sponsored the bill, titled the Conforming Loan Limits Extension Act, which would fix the limit for jumbo loans backed by GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration at $729,750.

In a statement released Tuesday, HUD announced the move by multifamily housing deputy assistant secretary Carol Galante to her new role as acting commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration. President Barack Obama picked Galante for the position, with rumors circulating around the Capitol that the affordable housing veteran may receive a nomination for the top role, too.

On Friday lending giant Prudential Mortgage Capital Company announced a joint venture with Perella Weinberg Partners that will allow the two companies to store and originate future commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). Participation in the re-emerging CMBS market is critical to maintaining our leadership position in the commercial mortgage arena, David Twardock, president of Prudential Mortgage, said in a statement.

Last week Ginnie Mae released a report indicating that it guaranteed millions less mortgage-backed securities in May than April, posting over $25.4 billion.

Last week Churchill Mortgage released a statement announcing its expansion into the Houston market, marking a grab for the mortgage company with branches and services in 25 states.

According to a recent report, Ginnie Mae issuers put up over $26 billion in mortgage-backed securities for sale on the secondary market over the course of May, reflecting a 4 percent overall decline from April. HUD released a report indicating the placement of 99.5 percent of FHA-insured loans and 97 percent of VA-backed loans in Ginnie Mae packages over the course of 2010, with an end-point in September. Ginnie Mae also securitized $770 million worth in FHA-insured reverse mortgages and $1.6 billion in multifamily loans over the course of May.