A mortgage industry group wants to turn the TRID disclosure tables back on the regulators and reveal to homebuyers all the fees – including those imposed by the government – they have to pay for their home purchases, and not just those generated by the industry. The mortgage broker organization known as NAMB – The Association of Mortgage Professionals wants the CFPB and the Federal Housing Finance Agency to further clarify the TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule by including a new line item that clearly states the “hidden” guarantee-fees and loan- level price adjustments from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. [However, it should be noted that the FHFA has no authorities under the Truth in Lending Act nor the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.] ...
Freddie Prices $950 Million Multifamily K-Deal. Freddie Mac recently priced a new offering of Structured Pass-Through Certificates (K Certificates), which are backed by underlying collateral consisting of fixed-rate multifamily mortgages with predominantly seven-year terms. The GSE expects to issue nearly $950 million in K-722 Certificates. Borrower Alleges Unfair Post-Bankruptcy Inquiry. A borrower recently filed a lawsuit seeking class-action status against Fannie Mae related to an inquiry made into his credit file after his bankruptcy process was completed. Some attorneys said the case hints at a new type of lawsuit on the horizon stemming from the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The former borrower alleges that the GSE made unauthorized inquiries into his...
The GSEs simplified their low downpayment mortgage programs and announced updates in their selling guides late last week. The formula to determine a borrower’s eligibility by income limits is the first change aimed at making the application process for Fannie’s HomeReady program easier. “We are simplifying the way that income limits are applied by establishing a single area median income limit of 100 percent,” said Fannie. This is a change from the previous limit, in which the total annual qualifying income could not exceed 80 percent or 100 percent of the area median income, depending on where the home was located.
Freddie Mac expanded its re-performing loan program by introducing its first structured sale of seasoned loans last week. The $199 million pilot structured sale is comprised of seasoned loans that Freddie currently guarantees and holds in its portfolio. This includes option adjustable-rate mortgages as well as loans that were originally option ARMs but have been modified through a Home Affordable Refinance Program or other modification. Most of the loans are” less than six months current” or are moderately delinquent, according to Freddie. The transaction involves two steps. In the first step, Freddie sells the loans through a competitive bidding process, subject to a securitization term sheet.
Former Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Ed DeMarco said the GSEs should operate as lender-owned entities that sell insurance against borrower defaults. DeMarco, along with Michael Bright, director of the Milken Institute’s Center for Financial Markets, published the housing reform plan last week. They said a long-term housing finance decision is needed. “Meaningful reform must be achieved, the vast majority of policymakers say, yet the decade anniversary of the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac looms,” they said. “The FHFA was never envisioned as the permanent manager of the enterprises.” DeMarco and Blight suggest turning the GSEs into mutual insurance companies. In this scenario...