Recent actions by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the government-sponsored enterprises and FHA to make it easier for borrowers to get a mortgage are probably going to be an inconsequential wash overall, according to a panel of industry representatives and policy experts. However, there was some optimism expressed as well. Commenting on last week’s changes from the FHFA on GSE guaranty fees and loan-level price adjustments, Ron Haynie, senior vice president of ...
Most lenders already doing business with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac expect to offer the new low-downpayment options available from the government-sponsored enterprises, though few expect to see much pickup in their originations. A new Fannie survey found 81 percent of lenders intend to offer the 97 percent loan-to-value ratio mortgage sometime this year. About 8 percent said they’re not interested and the rest weren’t sure. But of those planning to offer the product, only ...
The majority of the 9.3 million borrowers who lost their homes between 2006 and 2014 will likely become eligible to re-enter the home purchase market within the next nine years, according to an analysis by the National Association of Realtors. However, only about a quarter of them are expected to actually return to the market. “The extended time needed to repair credit scores or save for a downpayment, combined with other overlapping post-distress factors on credit quality, such as ...
Former FHA chief David Stevens said use of the False Claims Act as a “legal sledgehammer will now be tested by one of the highest quality FHA lenders in the nation.”
DOJ cites an email written by a Quicken divisional vice president for underwriting who brags that the lender has a team that is “responsible to pushback on appraisers questioning their appraised values.”
The costs for appraisals for home purchases have increased in recent years, according to some real estate agents responding to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey, with blame being placed on appraisal management companies. “Many agents report that appraisal costs have risen and AMCs’ overhead may be responsible,” said Tom Popik, research director of Campbell Surveys. While lenders aren’t required...