Collateral was much less of an issue in the purchase market, accounting for just 14 percent of conventional denials.

The government accused the San Diego-based Plaza Home of charging black and Hispanic borrowers higher fees than white borrowers on mortgages sourced through the wholesale channel.

Critics of program contend that the strings attached by Fannie Mae require too much oversight of REO investors, driving away potential top bidders.

FHA will continue to insure mortgages if the government closes but cautions that its commitment authority eventually will run dry. Potential homeowners "will be impacted," it warns.

The much anticipated announcement on lower GSE loan limits could be pushed back to mid-October.

Except for Title I property improvement loans, HUD proposes to adopt the statutory points and fees structure for all FHA-insured single-family mortgages as implemented under the FPB's QM/Ability-to-Repay final rule.

The mortgage and housing sectors expect the Federal Housing Finance Agency to unveil lower GSE loan limits this fall – it’s just a matter of when. A handful of developments are affecting the timing of that decision, including intense lobbying by the National Association of Realtors and National Association of Home Builders, and a growing concern that mortgage bankers are already swamped with implementation deadlines tied to a slew of new rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Federal Reserve continues to be an MBS hog, so much so that it may soon surpass commercial banks as being the top holder of these securities.

“Our tool puts valuable information into the hands of the public in an accessible way," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. But will consumers use this information against mortgage lenders?

The Federal Reserve’s relentless acquisition of agency MBS has been the biggest factor in the changing complexion of the MBS investor picture, far outstripping the tortoise-like pace at which the market has expanded this year. The Fed increased its agency MBS holdings by 12.8 percent during the second quarter of 2013, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS profile of investor classes in the mortgage securities market. The central bank added $137.2 billion to its agency MBS holdings during the quarter, and its gross acquisitions totaled $466.6 billion since the beginning of the year. That represented...[Includes two data charts]