The Senate has approved a housing bill that revamps the FHA Hope for Homeowners program and strengthens federal deposit insurance, clearing the measure for the President Obama's signature.
As MortgageWire went to press, the President was scheduled to sign the housing/FDIC bill at a White House ceremony along with a separate bill (S. 386) that clamps down on mortgage fraud and other financial crimes.
The House passed the bill (S. 896) Tuesday afternoon and the Senate followed very quickly to approve the measure, which does not include a controversial bankruptcy cramdown provision. Senate leaders stressed during discussions to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the bill that they can't get a cramdown provision through the Senate.
The new Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary has been waiting for Congress to act so the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) can make the H4H program a viable option for underwater homeowners to refinance into a FHA loan.
However, HUD secretary Shaun Donovan has warned that the H4H program is dependent on the willingness of investors to write down the principal amount of the mortgages.
"I do believe, frankly given the drop in values, given what we have seen terms in foreclosures we are starting to see some willingness of the investors" to take writedowns, he said recently. The housing bill also gives HUD new powers to police the FHA mortgage insurance program and penalize and debar lenders.
It shields mortgage servicers from investor lawsuits and provides the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. with more borrowing authority to deal with the rising bank failures. "S 896 will increase the FDIC's borrowing authority to $100 billion, enabling the agency to reduce the proposed special premium assessment on all banks," said Floyd Stoner, the American Bankers Association's chief lobbyist.
