Complaints by active-duty and retired U.S. military personnel about their mortgages rose in many categories tracked, both on a quarterly basis and on an annual basis, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside the CFPB. Overall, they are definitely trending up. For instance, complaints by service members about all mortgage products in general rose from 582 incidents in the fourth quarter of 2016 to 739 in the fourth quarter of 2017, but they fell from a total of 741 in the third quarter of last year. The increase was a little more consistent when particular mortgage products were segregated out from the aggregate data. For instance, gripes about conventional mortgages rose from 218 in 4Q16 to 334 [with charts] ...

House Rules Committee Expected to Clear Legislation to Tweak Points and Fees Definition under the ATR Rule. The House Rules Committee is expected to clear sometime this week H.R. 1153, “The Mortgage Choice Act,” legislation that would make two adjustments to the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) definition of points and fees to ensure greater consumer choice in mortgage and settlement services under the ability-to-repay/qualified mortgage rule.... OIG Has Mixed News for CFPB on Mobile Device Data Security. The CFPB got a dinged report card from the Office of Inspector General in terms of the security of mobile technology that bureau staff use. “Mobile devices help CFPB staff carry out their duties, but the portability of these devices heightens the risk of loss or theft of IT equipment and data,” said the OIG in explaining its motivation for evaluating the CFPB’s mobile encryption practices....

The MBS will include credit enhancement of 10.0 percent on the senior tranche, similar to other expanded-prime MBS from Redwood.

Lenders are required to provide early disclosures “no later than the third business day after receiving the veteran’s loan application.”

It was the GSEs’ weakest monthly output since May 2017…

On Friday, Moody’s downgraded the issuer rating of New Residential Investment Corporation...

The Raymond James Affordable Housing Fund is part of the GSEs’ effort to provide capital for affordable rental housing and underserved markets.

Citadel is working on its first MBS deal…

The American homebuyer’s “typical mortgage payment” is up 12 percent over last year, and the trend is expected to continue in the year ahead, according to a new report from CoreLogic.

Is pre-approval truly the first step in loan origination? The folks at Churchill Mortgage do not think so. There is a common misconception about “pre-approval” and its importance in the lending process, says Matt Clarke, Churchill’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He views pre-approval as nothing more than taking a mortgage loan application and approving it for underwriting. …