Secondary market trading for home-equity loans has increased across most market segments, thanks to greater available supply driven by higher prices, according to a new report from MountainView Financial Solutions, a Denver-based provider of financial services analytics and advisory services.

The foreclosure rate returned to pre-crisis levels this year, though industry analysts note that foreclosure rates remain somewhat elevated in states with a judicial foreclosure process.

California, the largest mortgage market in the U.S., appears to provide more than enough business for loan officers, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis that compares the number of registered and licensed LOs in each state to the volume of home loans and mortgage applications. [Includes one data chart.]

Freddie Mac launched a new pilot program geared toward keeping rents affordable for low-income and working families.The Mezzanine Loan program is different from other affordable housing efforts because it’s strictly voluntary and will offer lower cost financing to multifamily borrowers who agree to cap their rent increases for the life of the loan....

With the launch of the single security less than a year away, there are some uncertainties that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the industry expect to have cleared up before making the switch next June. They range from ensuring fungibility between Fannie and Freddie securities, to creating more regulatory clarity, preparing third parties and determining how the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association will consider the new security in the to-be-announced market....

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s recent stress test results show that the GSEs could need up to $77.6 billion in a severe economic crisis. But quarterly earnings continue to show a profitability that cancels out the need for a bailout. Required annually by the Dodd-Frank Act, the test of severely adverse scenario is based on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac portfolios as of Dec. 31, 2017....

As the GSEs’ share of the multifamily market continues to grow, the Federal Housing Finance Agency wants them to take more precautions when selecting and monitoring their multifamily seller/servicers. The regulator issued an advisory bulletin this week outlining expectations for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to institute proper controls and perform monitoring to identify and manage risks associated with ....

New guidance issued to the Federal Home Loan Banks focuses on making sure the banks are properly pricing the funding they offer. The Federal Housing Finance Agency said the banks have introduced a diverse array of advance products to meet the changing needs of their members over the years. In a recent advisory bulletin, the regulator directs the banks to be certain that the cost to issue debt, plus administrative and operating costs, does not surpass the minimum ...

Fannie Mae issued its second fraud alert of the summer, warning lenders about borrowers using fake companies as their employers on loan applications. This time the fake companies seemed to have expanded their reach from southern California to Northern California.Ten more possibly fictitious companies have been found to be included on mortgage documents. The original alert included ....

GSE shareholders have introduced a new theory to help strengthen their cases after being forced to back down from their illegal takings claim arguing that the Treasury sweep was illegal. They now look to modify their complaint to focus on a ruling in another case that deemed the Federal Housing Finance Agency structure unconstitutional....