The False Claims Act (FCA) and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) not only have become strong enforcement tools in the fight against FHA mortgage fraud but also an efficient means of recovering taxpayer losses. Having used both federal statutes effectively to wrangle huge settlements from large banks, federal prosecutors now have their eyes set on mid-level banks, according to compliance experts during a recent webinar hosted by Inside Mortgage Finance Publications. “Because these FCA [and FIRREA] lawsuits have been a cash cow for the Department of Justice and the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, I think these agencies will target mid-level banks next,” said ...
Two industry trade groups expressed support for consolidating Ginnie Mae’s mortgage-backed securities program and creating a new MBS but they are at loggerheads on some of the details. Commenting on the Ginnie Mae proposal, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said the disagreements are mostly on how to resolve issues related to winding down the Ginnie Mae I MBS program and providing a conversion option for existing securities. “It is clear that further discussion is warranted, and direct engagement with key stakeholders should be beneficial,” the trade groups suggested. Ginnie Mae has received considerable support from a variety of industry players for its “straw man” proposal to shift to a single MBS program based on the existing Ginnie II. The program now accounts for more than 90 percent of all ...
Reverse mortgages would be included in Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reports under a proposed rule published recently by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The proposed rule would expand the definition of a “covered loan” under HMDA to include reverse mortgages and home-equity lines of credit (HELOCs), which include reverse mortgages structured as open-end HELOCs. Currently, HMDA regulations do not require reporting of HELOCs, although lenders may do so if they choose. Currently, financial institutions only have to report information on a closed-end reverse mortgage if the transaction involves a home purchase, home improvement or refinancing. Among other things, the CFPB has proposed to require that all reverse mortgages and HELOCs be identified by loan type to distinguish them from other categories of ...
CFPB Making Its Presence Felt Among Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Servicers. Fannie Mae’s latest earning filing indicates the CFPB and/or the New York State Department of Financial Services have been reviewing the activities of Fannie Mae’s three largest non-depository servicers (which would be Nationstar, Ocwen and possibly Quicken Loans, according to the latest ranking by Inside Mortgage Finance, an affiliated publication). The scrutiny of Quicken Loans seems to be a new development. The bureau would not comment. Meanwhile, during the first half of 2014, Freddie Mac said in its second quarter earnings announcement that it implemented requirements for its seller/ servicers in response to some final rules from the CFPB, including rules concerning the requirements for borrowers’ ability to ...
The Investors Unite chief said Watt has publicly acknowledged that he possesses the Congressional authority to end the GSE conservatorships under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.
The market for “legacy” mortgage servicing rights has been on ice since earlier this year because of regulatory scrutiny, but there’s a new school of thought that suggests the halcyon days of mega transactions might be over for good. Servicing advisors who work in the MSR market note that the “Lawsky effect” is still being felt by Ocwen Financial and some of its peers, but as time goes on it will be less of a factor. “There’s...
Mortgage delinquencies increased slightly in the second quarter of 2014 compared with the previous quarter, according to the Inside Mortgage Finance Large Servicer Delinquency Index. However, delinquency rates adjusted for seasonal factors showed a decline from the first three months of the year, and the unadjusted rate was down from a year. The total delinquency rate for 23 large servicers, with no seasonal adjustment, hit 6.59 percent at the end of the second quarter, up from 6.52 percent the previous quarter but down from 7.33 percent in the second quarter of 2013. “We have returned...[Includes one data chart]
As IMFnews went to press, no other details were available on the transaction, including the identity of the seller or whether the product is “newly originated” or “legacy” in nature.
RSS