The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to have a finalized Qualified Mortgage (QM) rule by May to help clear up some issues that have arisen since the agency issued an interim final rule last spring. The VA issued the interim QM rule for comment on May 9, 2014, to define which VA loans will have QM status under the ability-to-repay (ATR) rule. Issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the ATR rule provided temporary QM status to loans eligible for FHA insurance and guaranties by the VA and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service. Eligible government-backed loans must be 30-year fixed-rate with no interest-only, negative amortization or balloon features. Total points and fees must not exceed 3 percent of the total loan amount for loans of $100,000 or more. Loans that meet the definition of a temporary VA-eligible QM are considered as in compliance with the ATR rule. They are designated as “safe harbor QMs,” provided they are not ...
Private mortgage insurers ended 2014 in better financial shape and with a stronger market position than a year earler, although new business volume fell sharply in the fourth quarter, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking. Private MIs reported $46.94 billion in new insurance written during the fourth quarter of 2014, a figure that could change slightly when National MI releases its earnings after Inside Mortgage Finance goes to press. Our estimate for the firm is based on volume trends reported by its competitors. While private MI business was down 12.5 percent in the fourth quarter, total mortgage originations fell...[Includes three data charts]
After Freddie Mac makes its next dividend payment in March to the U.S. Treasury, the GSE will have returned $91.8 billion to the government versus financial assistance draws of $72.3 billion.
Warehouse commitments written by commercial banks reached approximately $33 billion at yearend, according to figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance – one of the healthiest readings in several quarters and a sign that all is well in the originations market. The only thing bothering most warehouse managers is how long the good times can last. “There is...[Includes one data chart]
Production of loans with a Department of Veterans Affairs guaranty increased 44 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to the same period a year ago, thanks to strong refinance activity during the holidays, according to an agency spokesman. John Bell, assistant director for loan policy and valuation with the VA Home Loan Guaranty Service, said VA streamline refinance activity rose 18 percent year over year as more veterans took advantage of lower interest rates and lower downpayment in the fourth quarter. He said the VA is still in the process of collating data, declining to give further details. Nonetheless, VA production in the fourth quarter was fueled...
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