Tag Archives: Mortgage Insurance

Loans originated last year are the best-performing mortgage loans on record, according to the November Mortgage Monitor released Tuesday by Black Knight Financial Services (formerly Lender Processing Services). The Monitor also found a significant increase in non-agency loans, a sign that the market might be ready for more risk. Non-agency, first-lien, prime, jumbo loans have increased 75 percent over the year in November, according to Black Knight.

More than a year after reporting a shortfall of $16.3 billion in the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund, HUD announced significant improvements in the agency's financial situation--though the fund remains in the red. An actuarial report released Friday shows FHA's insurance fund for single-family home loans has regained $15 billion dollars in value over the last year, bringing it to -$1.3 billion dollars and a capital ratio of -0.11 percent.

PNC and Freddie Mac announced an agreement to resolve substantially all indemnification and repurchase obligations related to loans sold to Freddie Mac between 2000 and 2008.

Private mortgage insurers reported issuing more policies in October than in the month prior--but dollar volume decreased over the month, according to monthly numbers released by Mortgage Insurance Companies of America (MICA). Member companies represented in the trade group's statistics reported issuing 38,908 insurance certificates for borrowers seeking to buy or refinance a home in October. At the same time, dollar volume on insurance written throughout the month totaled $8.7 billion, the lowest amount since May 2012.

Moving forward on another of its performance goals for 2013, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced Monday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have completed a major overhaul of mortgage insurance master policy requirements. "Updating the mortgage insurance master policy requirements is a significant accomplishment for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac," said FHFA acting director Ed DeMarco. "The new standards ... enhance the insurance protection provided to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which ultimately benefits taxpayers."

Republic Mortgage Insurance Corporation faces a $100,000 fine and enhanced supervision by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for allegedly offering illegal kickbacks to lenders in return for business referrals, according to an announcement from CFPB. "The CFPB believes that RMIC provided kickbacks to mortgage lenders by purchasing captive reinsurance that was essentially worthless but was designed to make a profit for the lenders," the bureau said in its announcement.

Citing concerns about the costs of force-placed insurance for the GSEs and consumers alike, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Tuesday directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prohibit servicers from taking reimbursements from insurers providing forced policies. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will provide aligned guidance to sellers and servicers to prohibit these practices, including implementation schedules. In addition, acting FHFA director Edward DeMarco announced the agency is considering further measures.

Member firms of Mortgage Insurance Companies of America (MICA) reported a combined 37,501 new mortgage insurance policies issued in September, down from 46,051 in August.

While the government works toward GSE reform, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW), a financial services provider; says reform for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) should also be a top concern.

According to monthly statistics released by Mortgage Insurance Companies of America (MICA), member companies issued 46,051 policies in August, down from 50,575 in July. Activity was still higher than last year, though, when members issued 43,949 policies. The drop came despite an increase in applications received in July. Meanwhile, loan performance picked up after deteriorating for four straight months, with the ratio of cures to defaults rising more than 15 percentage points to 93.6 percent.