The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued guidance for conducting its mandated five-year review to identify areas that no longer qualify as rural for housing programs. For purposes of establishing eligibility to participate in USDA direct and indirect single-family housing guaranteed programs, “rural” and “rural area” are defined as “any open country, or any place, town, village or city which is not part or associated with an urban area.” To be designated as rural or rural area, the area must have a population not exceeding 2,500 inhabitants or a population of more than 2,500 up to 10,000, “if it is rural in character.” An area with more than 10,000 inhabitants up to 20,000 may be classified as rural if it is not within a standard metropolitan statistical area and “has a serious lack of credit for lower and middle-income families, as determined by the [USDA] secretary or the secretary of the ...
A spokesman described the new product as “an additional feature not unlike private mortgage insurance” although he refuses to call it an insurance policy…
PennyMac Financial Services is set to launch broker-direct originations, complementing its correspondent production and retail originations. Officials note that in-house technology development plays a major role in the nonbank’s efforts to increase originations and servicing.
Capital One this week announced that it’s throwing in the towel on mortgage finance, laying off staff and shuttering offices in an attempt to improve profits. And now comes the big question: will other banks follow in its wake?
A few mortgage lenders are offering a purchase-loan option that provides protection to borrowers who make a downpayment on their house and later have to sell at a loss due to a decline in value.
Two of the nation’s largest reverse mortgage lending platforms are on the auction block with a third contemplating an exit via a servicing sale. Coupled with higher upfront premiums on the product, all is not well with the sector.
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