Policy and Regulation

With the agency mulling changes to the “Qualified Mortgage” regulation, mortgage lenders say little-known standards for how they document a borrower’s income would be a good place to start.

The San Francisco company forecast a modest profit in the third quarter because its cost-cutting plans are ahead of schedule. It's also starting a program to sell riskier loans to sophisticated investors.

The Upstart Network, the first and only startup to participate in the bureau’s program for promising digital platforms, claims that using nontraditional credit data items has helped loan volume and affordability.

A gradual approach would help the market absorb loans affected by the government-sponsored enterprises' expiring qualified mortgage exemption, a Redwood Trust executive told analysts during a recent earnings call.

Many in the industry say releasing GSE-backed loans from stringent underwriting rules has helped the housing market recover, but a new level of regulatory burden could reverse those gains.

Fannie Mae's current tack could help it weather some of the new challenges confronting the government-sponsored enterprises, including the planned expiration of its qualified mortgage rule exemption and rate-driven earnings volatility.

The Federal Housing Administration is aiming to limit the share of borrowers who have been withdrawing money from the value of their homes.

Some believe the administration will delay action on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to avoid any political fallout. Others say the window for reform is closing.

The mortgage industry was caught off guard by regulators’ decision to cease special treatment for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in complying with underwriting rules. But how big of an impact will the new policy have?

President Trump has signed the Protecting Affordable Mortgages for Veterans Act, which aims to address concerns that rules around certain VA refinances were impeding those loans' inclusion in secondary market pools.