Freedom Mortgage is acquiring the correspondent origination assets of JPMorgan Chase’s rural housing business for an undisclosed amount. The Mount Laurel, NJ-based lender will operate the business under its own brand and retain the current executives and employees who have been originating rural housing loans through Chase’s 23-year old correspondent business. Loans backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture comprise less than 5.0 percent of Chase’s 2015 mortgage banking business. USDA loans account for 1.04 percent of total mortgage originations in 2015, according to Inside Mortgage Finance. In its announcement, Chase said the move is part of a company effort to simplify its loan-origination business model and to focus its lending. Chase said it would continue to ...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service (RHS) last week published a final rule revising current regulations regarding lender indemnification, refinancing and qualified mortgage requirements, only to withdraw it later without explanation. The final rule was published in the March 29, 2016, issue of the Federal Register and was withdrawn abruptly on March 31. The RHS’ one-paragraph correction notice said the rule had been “inadvertently published” and, thus, was being recalled. The agency neither elaborated nor returned calls seeking comment. The final rule would expand the RHS’ lender indemnification authority for loss claims in the case of fraud, misrepresentation or noncompliance with applicable loan origination requirements. By taking such action, the RHS aims to improve its ability to manage the risk of its single-family housing guaranteed loan program. In addition, the final rule would ...
Reduced mortgage insurance rates for FHA multifamily housing programs took effect on April 1, 2016 to help preserve and increase the amount of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families. The reductions range from 25 to 35 basis points – a significant rate change for FHA’s multifamily portfolio. The revised multifamily mortgage insurance premium applies to any firm commitments issued or reissued on or after April 1. It is designed to encourage capital financing of affordable and energy-efficient dwellings. Announced on Jan. 28, the new MIP rates will not apply to FHA multifamily loans closed or endorsed before March 31, as well as to other multifamily mortgages endorsed in conjunction with an interest-rate reduction or a loan modification. For “broadly affordable” housing, FHA is lowering annual rates to 25 basis points, down 20 or 25 bps from current rates Broadly affordable housing means that ...
FHA Total Delinquencies, Serious Delinquencies Show Remarkable Improvement Since Peak. The FHA total delinquency rate in 2015 was 13 percent, down 37 percent from 2012 when the rate peaked at 16.7 percent, according to the latest data from FHA Neighborhood Watch. Serious delinquencies (loans that are 90 days or more past due) have improved 19 percent in 2015, with rates down to 6.74 percent from 9.92 percent in 2012. As of February 2016, the total delinquency rate and serious delinquency rate improved further to 11.1 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively. VA Issues POC Guidance, Seeks Comments on Proposed Data Collections. The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued new guidance revising the point-of-contact for inquiries regarding paid-in-full notifications of loans guaranteed for repurchase under VA’s Regulation 4600 Loans. The ...
There was a modest 1.8 percent increase in refinance business, and refi loans accounted for over half (52.1 percent) of GSE business in the first quarter – the first time refi activity exceeded purchase lending since early last year.
The call-center business model used by Quicken Loans won praise from real estate agents who often prefer to deal with a local loan officer, according to the results of a new survey by Campbell Surveys and sponsored by Inside Mortgage Finance. “It is clear that agents like Quicken for loan programs, lead time on closing dates, policy on providing closing status to agents and performance on meeting closing dates,” said Tom Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys. He said...
A potential shortage of residential real estate appraisers has some concerned that the decline could have far-reaching effects on the housing and mortgage industry. This prompted the Appraisal Foundation to issue a request for comment and examine possible changes to the recently revamped criteria used to qualify appraisers. While new criteria for becoming an appraiser went into effect in January 2015, the Appraiser Qualifications Board published a concept paper in July that was followed by a public hearing in October 2015 to voice its concern about the qualification criteria. Nationwide, the numbers of licensed appraisers has trended...
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