In a finding with ominous implications for the mortgage lending industry, a significant majority, 81 percent, of respondents in a recent opinion survey continues to believe that housing affordability is a problem in the U.S. The concern for lenders is that the more Americans believe the cost of buying a home is out of their reach, the greater the odds are they won’t even bother to shop for a house or a mortgage or save for a downpayment. “Stable, affordable housing is viewed as ...
Housing industry trade groups and other interests joined forces this week in urging the Federal Housing Finance Agency to lower GSE guaranty fees. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are no longer exposed to the credit risk they were at the height of the crisis in 2008, they said in a letter to FHFA Director Mel Watt. The June 22 letter was signed by 25 organizations, including the Consumer Mortgage Coalition, Mortgage Bankers Association and U.S. Mortgage Insurers. It not only called for lower g-fees but also said loan-level price adjustments need to be reduced or eliminated. The groups argue that both fees prevent qualified borrowers from entering the housing market.
While Fannie Mae scrapped its plans to roll out Desktop Underwriter 10.0 the last weekend in June, Freddie Mac forges ahead with plans for its July 11 release date of Loan Advisor Suite. Fannie and Freddie have both been preparing for big updates to their loan origination tools this year. However, Fannie delayed its June 25 rollout by three months and this week scheduled to release DU 10.0 the week of Sept. 25. Freddie’s Loan Advisor Suite is actually the next generation of Loan Prospector, which it named Loan Product Advisor. The GSE recently reminded its customers of the upcoming change and offered tips on how to prepare for it.
Freddie Completes $706 Million NPL Sale. Freddie Mac announced this week that it sold a large chunk of a $706 million deeply delinquent loan portfolio to Lone Star Funds’ LSF9 Mortgage Holdings. LSF9 was the winning bidder on four pools and Upland Mortgage Acquisition Company II won one. In total, 2,879 mortgage loans were offered through five separate mortgage pools. The loans have been delinquent for an average of approximately five years. As the company continues to trim its retained portfolio, the new sale marks the GSE’s third nonperforming loan auction of the year. The first was a $1.4 billion sale in March, followed by a $130 million transaction in June. Fannie Announces Latest NPL Sale. Last week Fannie Mae announced its latest sale of non-performing loans, including...
CFPB examiners found problems with loan modification acknowledgement notices, including sending them too late and having incorrect information or deceptive statements…
Jumbo mortgage originations declined by 2.0 percent during the first quarter of 2016, mirroring the modest downturn in overall mortgage lending from the previous quarter. Jumbo originations – including loans that were within the high-cost loan limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA and VA – totaled $100.61 billion in the first quarter, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside Mortgage Finance. The sector accounted for 26.5 percent of total originations during the first three months of the year, down slightly from a 26.7 percent share in the fourth quarter. The jumbo share of total originations has generally been...[Includes three data tables]
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