Mortgages

A top official at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions defended tougher underwriting rules blamed recently for a slump in the nation’s housing market, but left open the possibility that regulations could ease if conditions change.

Absent some policy change, nearly a third of the loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Qualified Mortgage rule in two years.

As policymakers consider administrative reforms to Fannie and Freddie, they must address the problem of capital arbitrage to avoid overleveraging the mortgage system.

The Senate Banking Committee chairman released an outline for overhauling the U.S. housing finance system more than 10 years after the government put Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship.

The agency's acting director said he welcomes lawmakers' “insight and perspective” on how to end the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Ginnie Mae has restricted loanDepot's ability to securitize Veterans Affairs mortgages because of apparent churning of recent originations.

Fixing the housing finance system is "the last piece of unaddressed business from the financial crisis," according to a summary of to-do items released by the Banking Committee's chairman.

As 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose 30 basis points year-over-year, non-QM originations are estimated to grow 400% in 2019.

The acting head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency has promised substantial changes for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but the exact mechanics and timeline of an administration plan are still a mystery.

Plans to begin rating securitizations backed by fix-and-flip mortgages may help lenders create new capacity and satisfy growing demand for short-term financing of house flipping projects.

A security lapse left millions of mortgage records exposed online without proper data protections, according to security researchers.

Slower growth to interest rates and home prices will boost housing affordability in 2019, according to Fannie Mae.

Physicians account for 28.8% of borrowers in the collateral pool, up from 22% for SoFi's previous student loan securitization, according to Moody's Investors Service. Notably, fewer of these, 4.2% versus 7.8%, are in residency programs.

Citigroup's residential mortgage originations declined 23% and its home-loan revenue dropped by 35% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, as the company continued to distance itself from home loans.

Loans in commercial mortgage-backed securities originated after 2009 by nonbank lenders have a significantly higher default rate than those originated by banks, a Fitch Ratings report said.

Many federal agencies have been closed for more than three weeks, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history. With no end in sight, here's how it's affecting banks, credit unions and mortgage lenders.

A lapse in rental-assistance funding, an understaffed FHA and other effects of the government shutdown are causing real harm to families, said the chair of the House Financial Services Committee.

Lagging construction, rising interest rates and the broader economy don't really bode well for buyers of commercial real estate, but most CRE lenders still expect originations to increase in 2019, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The White House has officially nominated Mark Calabria as the next director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

As the government shutdown enters its third week, mortgage servicers are activating the response plans they normally use during hurricanes and wildfires to assist federal workers who may have trouble paying their mortgages.