The nomination of Dr. Ben Carson to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development has garnered mixed responses from stakeholders, making the choice of key subordinates more crucial to a successful tenure. Stakeholders are willing to give Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon, a chance despite his inexperience in civil service and in running a federal agency. They say, however, that Carson’s success as President-elect Donald Trump’s housing chief will likely depend on the people who are going to be named as his assistant secretary for housing, FHA commissioner, and Ginnie Mae president. “The key positions need to be filled by people with deep industry experience and understanding of the primary and secondary mortgage markets and housing overall,” said an industry observer. So far, only Carson has been named for an executive position at HUD. The positions of ...
Housing counselors participating in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s various programs must be certified to offer counseling services to consumers, according to a final rule issued this week by the agency. In order to become certified, housing counselors must pass a standardized written examination and work for a HUD-approved housing counseling agency (HCA). Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in six areas of housing counseling: financial management, property maintenance, responsibilities of homeownership and tenancy, fair housing laws and requirements, housing affordability, and avoidance of mortgage delinquency, eviction and default. Despite its recent release, the final rule will take full effect three years following the announcement of the certification exam. HUD will offer intensive training and study resources in English and Spanish to ...
Corrections to 2017 Nationwide Forward Mortgage Limits. The FHA found some errors in the previously announced 2017 nationwide loan limits for forward loans.The error in Mortgagee Letter 2016-20 pertains to an incorrect limit ceiling for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam? and the U.S. Virgin islands, which are identified as “special exception areas” due to higher construction costs in these areas.FHA will issue another mortgagee letter announcing the correction in special exemption areas in the future. The agency further noted corrections to the List of Increased Loan Limits CY16 to CY17 chart, which has been updated to reflect the correct loan limits for 2017. FHA is urging lenders to discard any previous versions. Requirements for Notification, Evaluation and Reduction of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in VA Properties. The Department of Veterans Affairs has updated guidance governing lead-based paint and/or hazards caused by lead-based paint in federally-owned housing under private management. The guidance updates and implements changes that have occurred since the rescission of the last guidance in 2004. Use of E-Signatures in VA-Guaranteed Home Loans Extended for Two More Years. The VA has extended the use of electronic signatures in ...
The growing popularity of private-label servicing and the way it’s offered to lenders are raising regulatory questions, underscoring the need for guidance and supervision, according to legal experts. With the most comprehensive offerings of private-label servicing, the borrower never knows the subservicer exists, and that’s the point of the arrangement, according to Craig Nazzaro, of counsel at the Atlanta-based law firm Baker Donelson. Nazzaro attributes...
While the deal includes many non-QMs and IOs, along with a “tier 3” representation and warranty framework, the senior tranche of the MBS will include credit enhancement of 5.75 percent.
Home-equity lending cooled off in the third quarter of 2016 as consumers took advantage of low interest rates to refinance rather than draw down more second-mortgage debt. Lenders originated an estimated $50.7 billion of home-equity loans during the third quarter, including home-equity lines of credit and closed-end second mortgages. Although that was down 5.2 percent from the second quarter, it still marked the second highest three-month volume since the housing market collapse in 2008. And depository institutions, the dominant lenders in the HEL market, reported...[Includes three data tables]
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