With banking regulators considering how to revise their Basel III endgame proposal, the U.S. Mortgage Insurers stressed that regulators should look more favorably on loans with private MI.

The collapse of commercial real estate during the 2008 financial crisis wasn’t the result of poor underwriting by lenders, but due to a widespread misperception of risk, according to a new Fed paper.

Research shows that minority homebuyers are more likely to be approved for a loan if their loan officer is a Democrat.

The average credit score for an FHA loan delivered into Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities increased in 2023, while average scores for VA loans didn’t budge. (Includes two data tables.)

Faster, better analysis of credit data means Fannie Mae can reduce some of the barriers to homeownership in “missing middle” housing.

Lenders gravitated toward lower loan-to-value ratios and higher credit scores with their deliveries to the GSEs in the third quarter.

Fannie’s decision to lower the downpayment requirement for loans on two- to four-unit multifamily properties should boost investment in this key source of affordable housing.

The proposal would change risk weights for mortgages in bank portfolios based on LTV ratios. Close to 20% of mortgages not sold by banks in 2022 had LTV ratios for which higher capital requirements would apply.

State Farm, the nation’s largest writer of home insurance, cited inflation, wildfire risk and a challenging reinsurance market as reasons for its exit from the home insurance business in California.

Upfront fees will decline for most low-income borrowers, but will increase for some middle-income homebuyers. The result is more cross-subsidy for the GSEs’ mission-based activities.