VA 19th Annual Lenders Conference. The Department of Veterans Affairs will have its annual conference at the Hilton Miami Downtown in Miami, from April 10-12, 2018. HECM Premium Calculation Software Version 2.5 Now Available. On March 21, FHA released Version 2.5 of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage software for calculating the initial mortgage insurance premium for HECM refinances. In December, FHA announced the posting of FHA Connection Release Notes, which outline the changes and processing instructions for lenders to calculate initial MIP on reverse-mortgage refis. Extension of HECM Foreclosure Timelines in Disaster-Stricken Areas. On March 19, FHA announced the extension of foreclosure timelines through May 18, 2018, in areas in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that suffered extensive damage due to Hurricane Maria. The extension applies only to those ...

Fannie Mae adjusted its automated underwriting services last summer to make more loans with higher debt-to-income ratios eligible for approval without lenders needing to provide compensating factors.

DBRS took over as the top rating service in the non-agency MBS market last year, as more deals carried multiple ratings in 2017, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS ranking.

Angel Oak Capital Advisors recently issued its first MBS backed by fix-and-flip loans. The firm plans regular issuance of such deals, which could receive credit ratings once the rating services develop criteria for them.

Fitch Ratings recently proposed changes to its loss model criteria for non-agency MBS involving servicer quality and the performance of re-performing loans.

The regulatory relief bill recently passed by the Senate would reduce uncertainty for future ABS tied to Property Assessed Clean Energy financing programs, rating services said.

Housing-finance reform appears to be in the process of a slow death for 2018 partly because of the pending departure of key players, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts.

More Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders have initiated lawsuits against the government for the Treasury sweep of the mortgage giants’ profits.

A slightly higher share of new single-family mortgages found their way into MBS pools last year, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis.

Originations of jumbo mortgages declined across the three production channels in 2017, with retail posting the biggest decline, according to an Inside Nonconforming Markets analysis of survey responses to affiliated publication Inside Mortgage Finance. The survey respondents reported $234.21 billion in jumbo originations, down 18.0 percent from 2016, which represented about 79.4 percent of the total jumbo market. Among respondents, retail production ... [Includes one data chart]