Most mortgage-related complaints borrowers filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stemmed from problems they had making their payments, although servicers generally turned in surprisingly high and consistent response rates for timeliness and resolution, according to an analysis of the new data by Inside the CFPB, an affiliated newsletter. Among the 90,000 consumer complaints included in the vastly expanded public database, more than 50,000 – far and away the biggest share – had to do with mortgages. About 30 percent of the mortgage complaints were leveled...[Includes one data chart]

The Securities and Exchange Commission last week cleared the way for Genworth Financial to separate its struggling mortgage insurance operations and create a new holding company structure that would shield the parent from any fallout from problems of its MI operations. The SEC granted Genworth’s request for a no-action letter, which ensures that no enforcement action would be taken based on Genworth’s interpretation of rules and regulations regarding mergers and succession, new registrant, obligations and indentures. Genworth announced...

In the first major change to loan originator test requirements since tests required by the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act were implemented in 2009, 20 state regulators adopted new LO tests this week. Industry participants applauded the uniformity among states, which will allow mortgage loan originators to satisfy testing requirements for multiple states in one swoop. Effective April 1, 20 states implemented uniform state content for the SAFE MLO test, five more states will adopt the test July 1 and two state agencies in Texas will adopt the test Oct. 1. MLOs seeking a license in the states will no longer be required to take a second, state-specific test component, according to the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. “This is...

Industry insiders, at least in some corners, may not be wild about the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s recent proposal to curb what it considers excessive force-placed insurance payments but the FHFA’s decision to seek public input on the measure is seen as a promising sign of future openness on agency policymaking. Under the FHFA proposal issued last week, seller/servicers would be prohibited from accepting sales commissions or fees related to the placement of force-placed insurance where a conflict of interest exists between them and the insurance providers and their affiliates. Formally published in the March 29 Federal Register for a 60-day comment period, the FHFA’s proposal responds...

Applications for purchase mortgages surged last week as FHA borrowers rushed to get their applications in before April 1, when higher FHA annual insurance premiums took effect, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s latest weekly survey of mortgage loan applications. The boost in total purchase applications for the week ending March 29 was fueled by a nearly 7.0 percent increase in government-backed purchase applications, the MBA noted. “This [increase] was likely driven by borrowers applying for loans prior to the scheduled increase in FHA premiums that took effect on April 1,” said Mike Fratantoni, the MBA’s vice president of research and economics. “On a year-over-year basis, purchase applications are up about 4 percent, in line with the trend we are seeing in home sales volume.” The 10 percent annual premium increase, the third in two consecutive years, applies...

Production of new non-agency MBS and non-mortgage ABS increased sharply in the first quarter of 2013, offsetting a slight decline in the agency MBS market. Total MBS and ABS issuance rose 2.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2012 to $515.3 billion during the first three months of 2013, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis and ranking. The first quarter of this year was up 19.7 percent from the same period in 2012, and it marked the strongest quarterly issuance since the third quarter of 2009. For a change, the increase did not come...[Includes two data charts]

Fannie Mae’s long-awaited year-end 2012 earnings report revealed record-setting profit for the government-sponsored enterprise on both a quarterly and yearly basis, due in part to the company’s loan buyback resolution agreements with Bank of America and a single-family book of business that’s outgrowing its legacy losses. Fannie reported net income this week of $17.2 billion for 2012, compared to a net loss of $16.9 billion in 2011, while the company reported fourth quarter earnings of $7.6 billion. “We have taken a number of actions since 2009 to manage...[Includes one data chart]

The Structured Finance Industry Group formed as a non-profit company about a month ago and is working to set up an infrastructure to compete with the American Securitization Forum. The group said its initial efforts will focus on hiring an executive director, advocacy and arrangements for an industry conference. The SFIG was formed by major securitization industry players frustrated with the governance of the ASF. While the SFIG has been careful not to publicly compare itself with the ASF, three of the SFIG’s four initial officers were previously board members of the ASF and the group shares a number of goals with the ASF. Reginald Imamura was named...

The Treasury Market Practices Group announced last week that a margining recommendation for agency MBS initially set to be implemented in June will be delayed until the end of 2013. The provisions apply to primary dealers working with four broad categories of forward-settling agency MBS transactions as part of an effort to manage counterparty exposures. The implementation date was delayed in response to concerns from market participants. Timothy Cameron, managing director and head of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s asset management group, said buy-side participants need to negotiate agreements for each of their accounts, which can include thousands of documents. “It is clear many market participants will not be able...

The International Accounting Standards Board has proposed an accounting treatment that would force holders of all but the most senior tranche of an MBS to account for those assets at fair value through net income – something that has the Mortgage Bankers Association expressing concern. The MBA generally supports the introduction of fair value through an “other comprehensive income” (OCI) classification for financial assets held within a business model in which assets are managed both in order to collect contractual cash flows and for possible sale, according to James Gross, vice president of financial accounting and public policy for the trade group. However, the MBA has...