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Inside Mortgage Finance

March 17, 2016

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Home-Equity Lending Up Solidly in 2015, But Outstanding Balances Continued to Dwindle

Mortgage lenders posted a sizable increase in home-equity loan originations last year, but the overall market fell to its lowest level since 2004. A new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking shows an estimated $182.6 billion in home-equity lending last year, mostly through home-equity lines of credit and, to a lesser extent, closed-end second mortgages. That was up 19.1 percent from a revised estimate of $153.3 billion back in 2014, somewhat slower than the 33.5 percent increase in first-lien originations in 2015. Home-equity originations declined...[Includes three data tables] Read More

HUD Announces New Certification Protections for Lenders; FCA Liability Concerns Linger in Wake of DOJ Statement

The Department of Housing and Urban Development this week unveiled final loan-level and lender-level certifications aimed at easing lender anxiety over potential enforcement actions due to minor errors, but a statement from the Justice Department could put a damper on the new FHA policy. The updated version of FHA’s loan-level certification clarifies that lenders will be held accountable for mistakes that would have prompted a lender to change its decision to approve a loan, not for minor errors. In addition, HUD opened a 30-day comment period for lender-level certification to address stakeholders’ concerns that proposed changes to loan-level certification could weaken the department’s enforcement authority. Lender liability under the federal False Claims Act has been... Read More

Spring Brings a Potential Mortgage M&A Bonanza Featuring Some Top Names in the Mix. But Will Any Deals Get Done?

Over the past two weeks, the mortgage mergers-and-acquisitions market shifted into high gear with speculation surrounding such top-ranked mortgage firms as PHH Corp. and Flagstar Bancorp. Then again, in the past, both of these top-10 lenders have been the subject of takeover rumors with deals falling to the wayside over price or other concerns. This time it could be different. And then there’s... Read More

6th Circuit Throws a Wrench into the OT Pay Debate by Exempting Workers Who ‘Help Run or Service a Business’

Loan underwriters who claimed they were improperly classified as exempt and thereby wrongfully denied overtime pay lost on appeal after a federal appeals court determined they were administrative employees “helping run or service a business” as opposed to engaging in loan production. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit stands in stark contrast to the Second Circuit’s 2009 opinion in a similar case, which held that underwriters are administrative workers who are eligible for overtime pay if they engage in production activities, industry attorneys said. In Lutz v. Huntington Bancshares, Inc., the bank’s underwriters primarily reviewed... Read More

House GOP Working on Dodd-Frank Alternative, Democrats Vow to Maintain Existing Protections

Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee are working on a regulatory relief bill as an alternative to the Dodd-Frank Act, many of the regulatory provisions of which have yet to be promulgated more than five years after enactment. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-TX, chairman of the committee, made the announcement and revealed some of the details earlier this week during a government relations event sponsored by the American Bankers Association in Washington, DC. “I can report... Read More

CFPB’s Open-Ended Corrective, Diagnostic Approach To TRID Enforcement Still in Effect, Cordray Says

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has not changed its “corrective and diagnostic” supervisory and enforcement approach towards the industry’s implementation of the integrated disclosure rule known as TRID, and does not expect to bring any enforcement action any time soon unless there is blatant misconduct, CFPB Director Richard Cordray told members of Congress this week. Whether mortgage lenders get any additional, official clarification or guidance from the agency to help with their compliance and litigation concerns is another matter. During a hearing Wednesday of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-MO, engaged... Read More

Mixed Views on Appraisal Trends for Purchase Mortgages as Home Prices Continue to Increase

Appraisals aren’t causing significant closing problems for purchase-mortgage lending, although there are issues as home prices increase, according to responses to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. “Appraisals are mostly in line with contract prices,” said Tom Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys. “However, appraisals for FHA mortgages and VA mortgages more often miss the contract price than appraisals for conventional mortgages.” Appraised home prices have tended... Read More

Impact of Rate Resets on Older Mods Seen as ‘Benign,’ Servicers Postpone Increases for Some Borrowers

Loan performance for mortgages modified more than five years ago has been relatively stable even as the loans face higher scheduled interest rates. Analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said payment shock has been limited and servicers appear to be postponing increases for some borrowers. Loans in the Home Affordable Modification Program have a fixed rate as low as 2.00 percent for the first five years, then the interest rate typically increases in steps of 1.00 percent per year until reaching the average market rate that was in effect at the time the mortgage was modified. Many proprietary mortgages, which outnumber HAMP, have similar features. Non-agency mortgages with a total unpaid principal balance of about $33.0 billion experienced... Read More

Program Launched to Let Consumers Sell And Buy a Home Via a ‘Trade-In’ Process

Opendoor, an online real estate start-up, unveiled a new service this week that lets sellers trade-in one home for another one instead of watching it sit on the market or being forced to juggle two mortgages. The San Francisco-based company launched the program in Phoenix and Dallas with a goal to make buying and selling a home “as simple as trading in a car.” Once sellers find a new home, they go to the Opendoor website, decide on their closing date, and the company will take it from there, including dealing with the new home’s real estate agent along with the title and escrow. To simplify the transaction, the company doesn’t... Read More

GSEs Fund Affordable Housing

Republicans on Capitol Hill this past week expressed dismay with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently transferring $180 million into federal affordable housing programs. In fact, 10-K filings by the two government-sponsored enterprises indicate Fannie has paid $217 million, and Freddie has turned over $165 million for a total of $382 million. By law, both GSEs are required... Read More

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