In a few weeks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will release second quarter results, likely posting positive earnings, but the revenue figures will not include any major boost from legal settlements or the recapture of previously set-aside loan loss reserves. In short, what the two government-sponsored enterprises report in earnings for the second quarter should reflect what their operating profits might look like going forward, given normal market conditions. However, over the past six months, the CEOs of Fannie and Freddie and top officials at the Treasury Department – the owner of its senior preferred shares – have consistently argued...

However, two of the largest home-equity lenders – Bank of America and Chase – both reported modest increases in production during the first quarter, up 3.1 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.

But the CFPB's Richard Cordray said people are misinterpreting the formal Federal Register notice which unveiled the expansive scope of the database project.

Investors Unite is urging the FHFA not manage Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as "non-profits."

The CFPB's Steve Antonakes revealed that the agency did not start training many of its examiners about the new rules until the first half of this year.

Three different sources confirmed that the two companies had been discussing combining, but it’s unclear exactly when the talks broke down.

Home-equity lending fell off sharply during the first quarter of 2014, but the sector may be poised for a rebound in the months ahead. Home-equity originations totaled an estimated $13 billion during the first three months of this year, down 18.8 percent from the previous quarter. That was up 8.3 percent from the first quarter of 2013, and a handful of lenders reported increased home-equity activity in early 2014. Most closed-end seconds and home-equity lines of credit are retained...[Includes three data charts]

The market for large packages of “legacy” mortgage servicing rights is ice cold these days, throwing a monkey wrench into the aggressive growth plans of Ocwen Financial, Walter Investment Management and Nationstar Mortgage. The reason is simple: regulatory scrutiny from the New York Department of Financial Services of Ocwen’s planned purchase of $39 billion in highly delinquent MSRs from Wells Fargo has dampened both auctions and sales. “Legacy packages are still out there,” said one buyer of mortgage receivables, “but I don’t see many of them and they’re not very large.” He added...

Barring the discovery of a skeleton in his closet, Julian Castro’s nomination for secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development appears to be a lock in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. Appearing before the committee this week, Castro, a three-term mayor of San Antonio, TX, laid out his priorities for HUD if confirmed. He said he would emphasize working closely with agencies as well as the value of “measuring results” by setting precise goals, public consultation, development of a public report card and annual updates – tools he employed in his municipal housing education and affordable housing initiatives in San Antonio. Castro said...

Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s housing goal performance exceeded the benchmark levels for all of the single-family and multifamily goals set for the two government-sponsored enterprises in 2012, but preliminary figures show that Freddie is struggling to hit the mark for 2013, according to a new Federal Housing Finance Agency report. The FHFA’s annual report to Congress, released late last week, reveals official figures on each GSE’s goal performance in 2012 and preliminary data on goal performance in 2013. Both GSEs hit...[Includes one data chart]