Industry participants have raised a number of concerns about a proposed rule issued in April that would implement minimum requirements for appraisal management companies, which are intermediaries between appraisers and lenders. Federal regulators in April issued a proposed rule that would implement AMC provisions mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, including a ban on AMCs providing appraisal management services for federally related transactions in states that haven’t established regulations for AMCs. The Consumer Mortgage Coalition said...

The average combined loan-to-value ratio on the deal is 71.5 percent, one of the highest levels for the new era of jumbo MBS.

Industry groups are supportive of a proposal by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide a reasonable cure for inadvertent overages in points and fees on qualified mortgages, but they disagree over the appropriate length of the cure period and other issues. The proposed CFPB rule would amend certain mortgage rules issued last year under the Truth in Lending Act. It would provide a limited cure mechanism for QM loans that exceed the points-and-fees limit for such mortgages and provide an alternative “small servicer” definition for nonprofit groups that meet certain requirements. Also, the bureau has proposed to amend the current exemption from the ability-to-repay rule for qualified nonprofits. In addition to the specific proposals, the CFPB sought...

Redwood will have the opportunity to buy jumbo mortgages from FHLB members via the Chicago bank.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is set to take a comprehensive view of the impact any changes to the government-sponsored enterprises’ guaranty fees would have on the MBS market. Late last week, the regulator issued a “request for input” on the g-fees charged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, prompting speculation that any changes to the fees won’t be implemented until 2015. The FHFA noted that the GSEs’ g-fees have increased from an average of 22 basis points in 2009 to 55 bps in 2013. The increases have been prompted by the FHFA along with Congress and changes made by the GSEs. Because of loan-level pricing adjustments – which in nearly all cases are rolled into the mortgage coupon – g-fees vary...[Includes one data chart]

A North Carolina federal judge announced from the bench this week he is considering dismissing a Justice Department fraud case against Bank of America, citing a less than overwhelming preponderance of evidence. U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn said during a hearing that he is leaning toward shutting down the DOJ’s case as per the March recommendation of U.S. Magistrate Judge David Cayer, who found that the Justice Dept. has failed to prove the bank made “material” false statements to the Federal Housing Finance Board. “DOJ may not have...

The Mortgage Bankers Association said the proposed cure would allow loans intended to be QMs to qualify as such regardless of an inadvertent excess in points and fees.

But why so long? ABA's Rod Alba continued: “Well, not all the rules are done yet."

“This appears to be very good news and is a credit to our collective work with the Coalition for Sensible Housing Policy,” the National Association of Realtors told its members.

The buyer originates mortgages in roughly six western states and is looking to expand into the East Coast to help fill its pipeline.