Home prices in many areas have fully recovered from the declines seen during the financial crisis, according to a variety of home price indices. While prices above levels seen before the financial crisis could cause alarms about another housing bubble, Sean Becketti, chief economist at Freddie Mac, is seeking to ease concerns. Last week, Freddie economists published an in-depth analysis of home price trends and median household income. They said the house price-to-income ratio appears to be the clearest indicator of the long-run sustainability of house prices. And even the PTI ratios that are relatively high in specific areas don’t necessarily indicate that there’s another housing bubble. “Based on this approach, we’re...
A growing number of mortgage-industry groups, housing interests and Democrats on Capitol Hill are urging the Federal Housing Finance Agency to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to begin to restore their capital bases, while others urge the FHFA to leave the matter to Congress. The Mortgage Bankers Association joined with four other groups this week in urging the FHFA to maintain the current state of conservatorship for the two government-sponsored enterprises and let Congress tackle broad mortgage-finance reform. “Absent reform, we run the risk of continuing to kick the can down the road without ensuring ongoing access to mortgage credit for millions of future homeowners,” the groups said. Joining the MBA were...
A bill making its way through the New York state legislature has prompted concerns among servicers and the Mortgage Bankers Association, who warn that the bill’s requirements regarding abandoned properties would increase costs and legal risks for servicers. A.6932-A, the Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act, was recently approved by New York’s Assembly on a 116-22 vote. The bill would require servicers to periodically inspect properties tied to delinquent mortgages, report vacant properties to a state registry and provide authorities with tools to prompt servicers to maintain abandoned properties, among other provisions. “There is...
A coalition of multi-sectoral groups is urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to work with other federal agencies to provide strong protections for mortgage applicants and homeowners who have limited English proficiency (LEP). The Americans for Financial Reform, an umbrella organization for more than 200 civil rights, consumer, labor, business, investors, faith-based, and civic and community groups, said that while the CFPB has taken steps to assist LEP consumers, the agency and federal banking regulators should go further to make the mortgage marketplace fully and fairly accessible to these consumers. “Mortgage origination and servicing must be...
However, Fitch did raise concerns about the expenses associated with Pentalpha Surveillance, which will review potential breaches of representations and warranties…
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