The Federal Housing Finance Agency this week said that conforming loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2015 would remain at current levels in most markets. Some 46 counties will get...

The National Flood Insurance Program has been great in providing federal flood insurance coverage to homeowners in high flood-risk areas, but the huge losses incurred by the program during Hurricane Katrina and super-storm Sandy indicate it is time to shift the risk to the private sector, according to industry experts. During a hearing on flood insurance legislation by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance last week, experts urged lawmakers to stop funneling all flood risk through the NFIP and open the door to private flood insurance providers. The hearing focused...

The development of a common securitization platform for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the progression of a single government-sponsored enterprise security remains an “important priority” for the Federal Housing Finance Agency over the next year, according to the FHFA. The GSE conservator noted in its “2014 Performance and Accountability Report” and the FHFA’s revised “Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2015-2019,” both issued last week, that the project is proceeding with deliberate speed. “Most of the software needed for the platform’s core functionality has been put...

Two large banks got a break recently as the Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to grant penalty relief to one bank while a New York federal judge dismissed certain claims against the second bank because they were overly speculative. In the first case, the SEC cleared the way for Bank of America to close a $16.7 billion global settlement after SEC commissioners voted to waive additional sanctions that would have taken effect when the settlement is entered into court, according to a report by Bloomberg. The commission agreed...

The most significant blockages to the return of a healthy and sustainable non-agency residential MBS market in the United States are low volume issuance, regulation, weak AAA demand and missing structural reforms, according to top market professionals. “What’s holding back the recovery?” asked Rui Pereira, managing director at Fitch Ratings, during a panel discussion at a residential MBS reform symposium sponsored by the Structured Finance Industry Group and Information Management Network in New York City earlier this month. “Other sectors have rebounded and we’re starting to see new asset classes emerge. And yet, we’re seeing very little momentum in our market. So the question is, what’s stalling the RMBS recovery?” In the run-up to the discussion, Pereira polled...

Banks may be forced to sell mortgage servicing rights in bulk or on a flow basis if Basel III doesn't go their way.

Although Bank of America has been dumping MSRs aggressively over the past two years, its subprime servicing portfolio has declined at a gradual pace.

However, the rule is not clear on how many times this could occur over the life of the mortgage.

Prior to FHFA’s new directive, Fannie and Freddie required homeowners who have been through foreclosure and want to buy their home back to pay the entire amount owed on the mortgage.

Another new entrant to the nonprime space is Garrison Investment Group, a private equity firm that late last month bought Hilco Real Estate Finance.