Appraisers and real estate agents are anxiously eyeing Jan. 26, the day Fannie Mae rolls out its “dreaded” Collateral Underwriter system, an automated risk assessment of appraisals that returns a risk score, flags and messages to the submitting lender. Reports that CU will drive up appraisal costs and slow closings are spreading fear among appraisers and real estate agents despite Fannie’s assurances to the contrary. With CU, lenders can return and challenge appraisals and demand changes to avoid any potential repurchase demand, according to a Connecticut-based residential mortgage specialist, who requested anonymity. “CU will provide up to 20 comparables, and appraisers will have to defend the comps that they use,” she explained. “You’re looking at adding a week or two ...

Although the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s interim final rule is about prohibiting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from passing on the cost of Housing Trust Fund allocations to lenders, critics used the comment period to lambast the FHFA for allowing the allocations in the first place. “I don’t believe a company that is 100 percent shareholder-owned should give money to a charity before paying shareholders a dividend,” said Joe Johnson, affiliation undisclosed. “If Fannie and Freddie were released from conservatorship and were able to keep their own profits, then it would be fine to use them to fund the affordable housing fund.” Chris Roberts, affiliation also unknown, believes the FHFA’s action is a clear violation of the mandate to place ...

FNMA SVC-2015-01. Jan. 14, 2015. Fannie announced it has incorporated updates on compensatory fees and the MyCity program into its servicing guide. FNMA SVC-2015-02. Jan. 14, 2015. Fannie amended policies related to deferred payment obligations and repurchase prices or make-whole payments, as well as calculation of indemnification claims for loss of mortgage insurance benefits. The new requirements relate to non-bifurcated mortgages and insurer deferred payment obligations. For loans subject to a repurchase demand or make-whole payment for breach of selling reps and warranties, the servicer must remit the full amount, the notice makes clear. ...

Securitization of nonperforming and re-performing mortgages accounted for just over half of total non-agency MBS production in 2014.

The biggest decline in MI business during the fourth quarter came in loans refinanced through the Home Affordable Refinance Program.

At yearend, Bank of America serviced $693 billion of home mortgages, a 4 percent decline from Sept. 30.

The layoffs “were in various departments and locations, but the majority of them were in corporate (administrative) departments at our headquarters,” spokesman for the company told IMFnews.

“We’ve seen a huge uptick in FHA streamlines with everyone waiting to order new case numbers,” said company president Eddy Perez.

The FHFA, so far, has declined to provide a budget figure to the general public.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securitized $46.91 billion of home loans with private mortgage insurance during the fourth quarter of 2014, down 1.9 percent from the previous quarter, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis. The drop in private MI volume nearly mirrored the 2.1 percent decline in overall mortgage-backed securities production by the two government-sponsored enterprises over the same period. For all of 2014, the volume of private MI loans included in Fannie/Freddie MBS was down 22.5 percent, while total GSE securitization tumbled 45.4 percent from 2013. While MI-insured purchase mortgages declined by 7.0 percent from the third quarter, securitization of refinance loans with private MI jumped...[Includes two data charts]