Reps. Bill Huizenga, R-MI, and David Scott, D-GA, both members of the House Financial Services Committee, have reintroduced the Consumer Mortgage Choice Act, H.R.1077, legislation that would ease the definition of points and fees that the CFPB articulated in its ability-to-repay final rule issued in January. The definition is a key factor in determining whether a mortgage is a qualified mortgage, which requires that fees and points not exceed 3 percent. Currently, the definition would make hundreds of thousands of...
FHFA's plan for a single MBS platform that would be managed by a new government entity separate from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac does not mean the agency is contemplating consolidating the two GSEs at this time.
The Mortgage Bankers Association and other industry trade groups are backing bipartisan legislation that would modify the definition of points and fees in the 'ability-to-repay' and QM rules.
Interest-only mortgage lending increased significantly in 2012, led by originators willing to portfolio the loans. Lenders expect the originations to remain strong even though the products were singled out in the Dodd-Frank Act and subsequent ability-to-repay rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Some $22.94 billion in IOs were originated in 2012 by 15 lenders tracked by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The lenders IO production increased by 19.9 percent compared with 2011 ... [Includes one data chart]
Officials at EverBank Financial said demand for non-agency jumbo mortgages is strong from borrowers and investors. The bank has increased its jumbo originations and is in the process of issuing its first non-agency mortgage-backed security. We see strong demand for the high-quality preferred jumbo product we originate, Rob Clements, chairman and CEO of EverBank, said this month during an investor presentation. The bank originated $397.5 million in non-agency jumbos during the fourth quarter of 2012 ...
Nonprime industry veteran Jon Daurio said he has lined up soft commitments of roughly $100 million to start a new non-agency mortgage banking firm. Daurio told Inside Nonconforming Markets that the softness or hardness of the commitments is dependent on the final terms that I eventually negotiate with a lead investor. He said the funding will come from private-equity sources. Daurio, who left Kondaur Capital about two years ago, said he could not comment further at this time. He has been ...
Two differing notions have emerged during a recent hearing in the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance regarding the rapidly changing relationship between private mortgage insurance and the FHA single-family mortgage insurance program. One view is that FHAs existing policies either ignore or violate basic regulatory principles and continue to crowd out private capital. Compared to state-regulated private MIs, the FHA has far less stringent standards and enforcement from a regulatory perspective has been disappointing. Proponents of this view say that ...
The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to launch an industry-wide review of housing counseling agencies, including those approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as other tax-exempt entities that provide mortgage foreclosure assistance, compliance experts warned. In fact, the IRS has started looking at providers that have applied for tax-exempt status in recent months and has denied three organizations in February 2013 alone, according to attorneys with the Washington, DC, law firm Venable. Housing counseling agencies can use the issues raised in the private letter rulings as a ...