In remarks that “sure sounded like a campaign speech,” according to one long-time industry compliance attorney, CFPB Director Richard Cordray threw the mortgage industry under the bus, accusing it of causing the financial crisis and the Great Recession that followed. Two weeks ago, Cordray delivered the keynote address at the Ohio Land Bank Conference in Cleveland, the same day the Democrat Party primary debate for the Ohio gubernatorial race was held. Some political observers were watching to see if the director would give his speech, resign and then appear in the debate. They were disappointed.But that doesn’t mean Cordray won’t resign before his term ends in July to pursue a run for the governor’s mansion. He has until 4 p.m. ...

An industry switch to digital mortgage lending may be costly upfront, but it would have saved the industry a ton of money and aggravation had it been adopted a decade ago, and can help resolve investor anxiety about legal liability and ensure greater regulatory compliance going forward, according to industry experts.In a webinar last week sponsored by Inside Mortgage Finance, Tim Anderson, director of eServices for DocMagic, pointed out that, when it comes to complying with the CFPB’s TILA/RESPA integrated disclosure rule, proof of delivery can be a big issue with investors, and e-closings/e-mortgages can be a huge help in resolving the anxiety that stems from the use of paper documents. “Three-day delivery is a big deal, [including] acknowledgement ...

It Looks Like New HMDA Requirements Will Proceed. Earlier this year, the mortgage industry made a concerted push for either the CFPB, or failing that, Congress, to delay implementing all the new data collection and reporting requirements lenders will face under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act regime.... Feds to Amend CRA Regs to Conform to CFPB’s HMDA Changes. The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Wednesday issued a joint notice of proposed rulemaking to amend their respective Community Reinvestment Act regulations, mostly to conform to the changes the CFPB made to Regulation C, which implements the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act....

Commercial banks were one of the most active buyers of residential MBS during the April-June cycle...

Matt Nichols, CEO of Deephaven Mortgage, a company that has issued nonprime MBS in recent years, said the main impediment to nonprime MBS is supply.

In a research note published Friday, Cowen & Co. notes the letter is an indication these groups believe allowing the GSEs to retain capital will prolong the conservatorships.

ATTOM’s Daren Blomquist: “In markets where distressed discounts have largely dried up, flippers are showing more willingness to leverage financing when acquiring properties…”

An impossible scenario, one that keeps Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt up a night? We shall see...

The wholesale-broker channel accounts for a relatively small amount of new business in the jumbo mortgage market, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of lender surveys. Brokers accounted for just 4.6 percent of jumbo originations during the second quarter of 2017, although volume was up 13.7 percent from the first three months. The problem is that jumbo lending by a diverse sample of mortgage lenders was up 19.9 percent overall, meaning ... [Includes three data charts]

A number of lenders outside of the mortgage market are starting to rely on alternative data to help make underwriting decisions. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is also encouraging use of such alternative data sources, which could prompt adoption by more lenders. Speaking at the ABS East conference produced by Information Management Network this week in Miami Beach, Joanne Gaskin, a senior director at FICO, said some lenders are relying on ...