The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has approved a class-action settlement between borrowers and a large bank to resolve allegations of illegal and unfair collection of post-payment interest on FHA-insured mortgages.
Ginnie Mae approved far fewer issuers last year than in 2017, according to agency data. Only eight out of 28 applicants were approved to participate in its mortgage-backed securities program, as against 22 issuers in the previous year.
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage originations declined in December-January due in part to the recent government shutdown and an overall slowdown in HECM activity, according to an analysis by Situs, Inc.
Congress is reportedly considering a legislative proposal to charge higher guarantee fees for VA mortgages to cover healthcare costs of Korean and Vietnam War veterans who were ex-posed to herbicides, such as Agent Orange and other toxic agents.
A Wall Street lobbying group has urged the Department of Veteran Affairs to change its cash-out refinance interim final rule, calling par-ticular attention to the net tangible benefit provision.
Industry representatives are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to delay an interim final rule on VA cash-out refinance loans for fear that lenders may stop offering the product.
Government-backed originations fell significantly in the fourth quarter of 2018 due to a decline in purchase lending even as year-over-year results reflected the uncertainty in last year’s government-backed mortgage market. [Includes three data charts.]
Several key issues remain unresolved as the securitization industry attempts to move away from the London Interbank Offered Rate. It’s not clear which parties should enact transitions away from the benchmark rate and, moreover, a replacement hasn’t been developed yet.