Comment Period for Single Family Handbook Extended. The FHA has extended from July 29 to Aug. 15, 2014 the deadline for submitting feedback on certain sections within the draft Single Family Handbook. Comments are being sought on sections “Doing Business with FHA – FHA Lenders and Mortgagees” and “Quality Control, Oversight and compliance." Both sections’ contents, as well as supporting information, are posted for review and feedback on the SF Drafting Table in the FHA website. Each section’s web page also contains highlights of changes, frequently asked questions (FAQs) and a feedback response worksheet. Julian Castro as New HUD Secretary. Julian Castro was sworn in as the 16th Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development on July 28. He replaces Shaun Donovan, who is now director of the ...

First Republic Bank and JPMorgan Chase were the top two contributors to the scant four jumbo MBS deals that hit the market during the second quarter.

Among the nation’s top five servicers, all suffered a decline in their MSR portfolios. Among the top 30, 20 firms saw a reduction in housing receivables.

The changes sought by the MBA would also allow mortgage loan officers at banks to more easily transition to working for nonbanks.

The unspoken factor affecting Ocwen's immediate future is Benjamin Lawsky and the New York Department of Financial Services.

The Countrywide purchase, completed in the summer of 2008, has cost BofA close to $60 billion in operating losses and legal settlements, depending on how the numbers are counted.

Ocwen watchers have wondered when – or if – New York state will ever bring any formal charges against the company.

Mortgage lenders face a heftier Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reporting load under a proposed rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would implement a number of changes mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act – and then some. The bureau views implementation of the Dodd-Frank changes as an opportunity to improve the data collected under HMDA, ease some reporting burden and modernize how the data are collected and reported, the agency said. The CFPB proposed...

The Mortgage Bankers Association is pressing regulators and legislators for uniform national requirements for testing of loan originators. In a shift from the bank-friendly issues frequently pursued by the trade group, the MBA is calling for testing requirements that currently apply to nonbanks to be expanded to banks. “MBA believes that all consumers should know that every LO, regardless of what type of lender they work for, meets a demonstrated minimum threshold of knowledge of mortgage lending by passing a test,” the trade group said. The changes sought by the MBA would also allow...

One joke making the rounds in Washington this week: Congress is going on its August vacation. How will we know the difference?