The battle among the three main federal housing agencies to attract more borrowers is getting more aggressive, according to the American Enterprise Institute.

The Trump administration’s 2020 budget seeks $44.1 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and $400 billion in new loan commitments for FHA.

Ginnie Mae’s latest guidance raising the minimum servicing spread will have little impact because most servicers already retain well above the minimum requirement, according to analysts with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

FHA jumbo lenders ended 2018 on a sour note with total originations during the fourth quarter declining 9.7% on a sequential basis and a whopping 30.9% from a year ago. Purchase loans accounted for 74.3% of the FHA jumbo market last year. [Includes one data chart.]

FHA has tweaked its mortgage scorecard to address concerns surrounding loans with higher-risk characteristics such as cash-out refinances and high debt-to-income ratios.

Ginnie Mae issuers produced just $22.84 billion of new mortgage-backed securities in February, the lowest monthly total in nearly five years, according to a new Inside FHA/VA Lending analysis. [Includes two data charts.]

CFPB to Hold Spring 2019 Advisory Committee Meetings; FTC Sends Annual Report to CFPB With ECOA Activities; Consumer Groups Seek CFPB Records on Eric Blankenstein; CFPB Warns of Widespread Elder Financial Abuse; CFPB Announces System for Prepaid Issuers to Submit Account Agreements.

The CFPB last month filed its first lawsuit under the leadership of Kathy Kraninger. Interestingly, the lawsuit seeks to enforce a 2017 civil investigative demand that was issued under former Director Richard Cordray.

The CFPB is calling upon financial institutions to submit a self-assessment of their diversity and inclusion activities, according to the law firm Ballard Spahr.

In a letter to CFPB staff recently, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-CA, chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, urged employees to blow the whistle on agency leaders.