Here's a fact that most readers may not know: the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 grants the FHFA the authority to bring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship.

Supporters of using eminent domain to resolve underwater but performing non-agency mortgages succeeded in placing their proposal back on the front burner in California this week. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to convene in closed session later this month with the city attorney’s office for advice on “anticipated litigation relating to the potential negotiation or adoption of a joint powers agreement with the city of Richmond [CA] to establish a homeownership stabilization authority to assist homeowners with troubled mortgages.” The board opted...

Just when you thought the eminent domain story was dead, it's not.

MountainView is being careful not to have its maiden voyage in non-QM lending labeled as subprime.

Ocwen faces a dilemma. It has a gargantuan MSR portfolio but meager loan production. At some point, something has to give…

To this point, most products offered outside of standards for qualified mortgages have targeted super-prime borrowers, often with jumbo loan balances. However, competition among lenders in that sector has been strong and there are plenty of borrowers with somewhat less than perfect credit looking for non-QMs, prompting some lenders to work on expanding their non-QM offerings. Brian Simon, COO of New Penn Financial, said the nonbank is launching a non-QM for borrowers who have ...

Only one nonbank claimed more than a 1.0 percent share of originations of non-agency jumbo mortgages in 2013, according to a new Inside Nonconforming Markets analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Quicken Loans, the 10th-ranked jumbo lender in 2013, accounted for 1.26 percent of jumbos originated during the year, even after growing its originations at more than double the industry average compared with 2012. Banks were the top nine jumbo lenders in 2013 ... [Includes one data chart]

Lenders in the manufactured housing sector have taken issue with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after the agency issued a white paper on the industry. “These consumers may be more financially vulnerable and benefit from strong consumer protections,” said Richard Cordray, the CFPB’s director. “The bureau is committed to ensuring that consumers have access to responsible credit in the manufactured housing market.” The Manufactured Housing Institute said it was pleased that the CFPB ...

Social Finance, a nonbank that has focused on refinancing student loans, launched a jumbo mortgage lending program this week. The lender is offering loans with downpayments as low as 10 percent and balances as high as $3.0 million with no requirement for private mortgage insurance. SoFi is offering 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and adjustable-rate mortgages, including a 5/5/20 ARM with a 10-year interest-only period. SoFi said it is looking to originate ... [Includes one brief]

Missing or incorrect files was the most common defect found in 49 percent of the loans, of which 29 percent were deemed initially unacceptable. Flawed credit or underwriting came in second at 26 percent, of which 67 percent were rated unacceptable. Program eligibility and operational deficiencies each had a 9 percent share while defective appraisals were common in 7 percent of all reviewed loans. Properly mitigated, the percentage of initially unacceptable loans usually drops to about 7 percent. The FHA tends to blames lenders for the defects but the bottom line is mistakes cut both ways, according to compliance experts. “Lenders make mistakes that can easily be corrected,” said one compliance consultant. “FHA also can be guilty of causing a mistake.” For example, poor communication and lack of clarity caused lenders to check a yes/no box to confirm whether or not they ...