A federal appeals court in New York this week will hear arguments from African-American subprime borrowers in Detroit in connection with a proposed class action challenging Morgan Stanley’s mortgage securitization practices during the subprime mortgage boom. The American Civil Liberties Union and its partners are seeking class-action status for the borrowers’ Fair Housing Act claims, which were initially rejected by a lower court. The court previously ruled that each borrower would have to sue on his or her own. The issue on appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is...
A top mortgage-industry executive called for the establishment of criteria for adjusting FHA mortgage-insurance premiums to limit taxpayer exposure and allow private capital to play a larger role in the mortgage market. In a recent blog, Patrick Sinks, president/CEO of Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp., noted growing talk in the mortgage industry of another possible FHA premium reduction following last year’s 50 basis point cut. However, before that happens ...
In a finding with ominous implications for the mortgage lending industry, a significant majority, 81 percent, of respondents in a recent opinion survey continues to believe that housing affordability is a problem in the U.S. The concern for lenders is that the more Americans believe the cost of buying a home is out of their reach, the greater the odds are they won’t even bother to shop for a house or a mortgage or save for a downpayment. “Stable, affordable housing is viewed as ...
Freddie Completes $706 Million NPL Sale. Freddie Mac announced this week that it sold a large chunk of a $706 million deeply delinquent loan portfolio to Lone Star Funds’ LSF9 Mortgage Holdings. LSF9 was the winning bidder on four pools and Upland Mortgage Acquisition Company II won one. In total, 2,879 mortgage loans were offered through five separate mortgage pools. The loans have been delinquent for an average of approximately five years. As the company continues to trim its retained portfolio, the new sale marks the GSE’s third nonperforming loan auction of the year. The first was a $1.4 billion sale in March, followed by a $130 million transaction in June. Fannie Announces Latest NPL Sale. Last week Fannie Mae announced its latest sale of non-performing loans, including...
The housing market has been fairly stable in 2016, but industry insiders say decreased affordability and credit access could impede the multiyear housing recovery. With interest rates lower than expected, the Mortgage Bankers Association raised its 2016 origination forecast to $1.60 trillion in May from its January projection of $1.38 trillion. It expects purchase originations to increase in 2017 and 2018, thanks to economic growth and a strong job market. But many first-time homebuyers may be...
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