An FHA price reduction remains a possibility but its impact is likely to be limited, according to analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. While some industry observers might think another mortgage insurance premium cut is inevitable, there is no broad pressure from any group or coalition that would compel FHA to do so, said KBW analysts Bose George and Chas Tyson, both panelists at KBW’s Mortgage Finance Conference recently. Given last year’s 50-basis-point cut, the FHA’s ability to cut rates meaningfully is somewhat limited, they said. The FHA annual MIP is currently 80 to/or 85 bps, down from the pre-reduction premium of 130 to/or 135 bps and higher compared to the average annual premium of 50 to/or 55 bps before the financial crisis. If FHA decides to reduce the premium again, George and Tyson believe the floor will likely be at the pre-crisis premium level, which would suggest a ...
Ginnie Mae securitization of rural home loans got off to a wobbly start in the first quarter of 2016 as securitization volume fell 13.8 percent from the prior quarter, according to an Inside FHA/VA Lending analysis of Ginnie data. Approximately $3.9 billion in loans with a USDA guarantee were securitized during the first three months, with the top five issuers accounting for $2.1 billion of mortgage-backed securities produced by the segment during the period. USDA securitization volume dropped 9.2 percent year over year. Top USDA issuer Chase Home Finance accounted for $1.2 billion of securitized rural housing loans, while PennyMac, in distant second place, finished the quarter with $378.5 million. Wells Fargo ($294.0 million), Pacific Union Financial ($122.8 million) and Amerihome Mortgage ($102.2 million), in sequential order, comprised the rest of the top five issuers. Pacific Union climbed over ...
A new California law requiring condominium homeowner associations to disclose to their members whether the VA or the FHA has certified their buildings will soon take effect.Starting July 1, 2016, California HOAs will have to disclose in their annual budget report whether or not their condominium projects have been approved for VA or FHA financing. Gov. Jerry Brown, D, signed Assembly Bill 596 into law in August last year to encourage more veterans and first-time homebuyers to purchase condominiums and take advantage of the benefits of government-backed home financing. In signing the measure into law, Brown expressed hopes that condominium HOAs will step up their certification or recertification process. Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, author of the bill, estimates there are 28,000 condo projects in the Golden State, and only a third are FHA-certified. There are far fewer projects that are ...
FHA Revises TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard. Effective on June 11, 2016, the FHA’s TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard no longer returns either upfront or annual mortgage insurance premium factors to an automated underwriting system. The FHA directs lenders to consult Appendix I of its Single Family Housing Policy handbook for applicable MIP factors. AUS vendors have been notified of the change and have adjusted their systems accordingly. HUD, First Citizens Bank Settle Fair Lending Complaint. A South Carolina bank has agreed to correct its lending practices and allocate funding to resolve allegations that it denied more loans to minorities compared to similarly-situated white loan applicants. The settlement agreement stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development against First Citizens Bank and Trust Co. in 2011 after an analysis of ...
The CFPB will take all of the content and commentary it has provided informally during webinars and at industry events, reconstituting it into some type of formal, definitive, and authoritative guidance.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to develop another rule to resolve some of the mortgage industry’s problems with the CFPB’s integrated disclosure rule may provide some psychological relief for lenders. But it’s certainly not solving any of the problems they are struggling with right now, problems that continue to emerge as the months since implementation roll on. Among the host of concerns that have sprung up related to the Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Integrated Disclosure Rule – TRID – is the raft of issues having to do with settlement agents. Delivering a presentation at the American Bankers Association’s regulatory compliance conference this week, Richard Horn, a former CFPB official, said...
Fannie Mae has postponed the anticipated release of Desktop Underwriter 10.0, an updated version that included using trended credit data. Something went wrong during the testing phase, prompting the government-sponsored enterprise to announce last week that the program will not be implemented during the weekend of June 25 as planned. Fannie apologized to its customers noting that it would be prudent to delay the release until the issues are addressed. Fannie isn’t...