The FHA’s proposed supplemental method for measuring lender performance is “a step in the right direction” and would help compare lenders to an FHA acceptable rate, rather than an industry average, according to the National Association of Realtors. The supplemental performance metric is crucial in an environment where lenders are instituting credit overlays on FHA-insured mortgages, the NAR said in a comment letter. The FHA proposes to use the metric along with the compare ratio to determine whether a lender with an unusually high default rate should be terminated from the FHA single-family program. This reflects the FHA’s view that factors other than the compare ratio might also influence a lender’s performance. Currently, the FHA compares a lender’s early seriously delinquent (SDQ) performance in a geographic area to other lenders in the same area. The number derived from this ...
The FHA’s Homeowners Armed With Knowledge (HAWK) pilot program is getting strong public support, particularly from first-time homebuyers and housing counselors.Based on comments received by the Department of Housing and Urban Development so far, the HAWK pilot is already taking hold in the public’s mind despite its limited publicity. -Rachel Andreyo, a new college graduate who was turned down recently for a mortgage loan pre-approval, said HAWK not only would educate potential first-time homebuyers about homeownership but also raise their hope of becoming a homeowner before the age of 30. “The knowledge this program would provide could be a game changer for young people and struggling Americans everywhere,” she wrote. Shawanda Walker, a single mother, sees HAWK as an opportunity for her to learn how to negotiate her first home purchase, learn about property taxes and ...
BNY Mellon will launch a new business later this year that would enable it to purchase, securitize and service reverse mortgages and provide advisory services to lenders that offer such loans. The new business segment, Home Equity Retirement Solutions, is aimed primarily at retirees experiencing significant financial shortfalls. “We view the funds generated by suitable reverse mortgages as an additional fixed-income component of retirement portfolios, an important part of retirement planning that complements other aspects of the plan,” explained Michael Gordon, managing director for BNY Mellon Investment Management. Gordon noted BNY’s long record of accomplishment working with retirees, including managing assets for 401(k) and defined benefit investments. He said reverse mortgages may now be more prudent based on ...
NY Passes Bill to Reduce Number of FHA Loans that Would Fall Under Subprime. The New York Assembly recently passed legislation that would result in fewer FHA loans being classified as “subprime” under state banking law, according to the law firm Ballard Spahr. Already passed by the Senate, the bill would make permanent prior emergency rules issued by the Department of Financial Services, which raised the subprime threshold 75 basis points for those loans subject to the revised FHA mortgage-insurance premium cancellation policy. Although the emergency rules were set to expire on Dec. 31, 2013, the DFS granted an extension to allow the state legislature additional time to find a permanent solution, said Ballard Spahr attorneys. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and strong industry backing, and is expected to ...
The CFPB's Steve Antonakes revealed that the agency did not start training many of its examiners about the new rules until the first half of this year.
The market for large packages of “legacy” mortgage servicing rights is ice cold these days, throwing a monkey wrench into the aggressive growth plans of Ocwen Financial, Walter Investment Management and Nationstar Mortgage. The reason is simple: regulatory scrutiny from the New York Department of Financial Services of Ocwen’s planned purchase of $39 billion in highly delinquent MSRs from Wells Fargo has dampened both auctions and sales. “Legacy packages are still out there,” said one buyer of mortgage receivables, “but I don’t see many of them and they’re not very large.” He added...
He may know how to run a decent race, but does economics professor David Brat – the man who beat Rep. Eric Cantor in the GOP primary in Virginia – know the history of the mortgage meltdown?
Six months after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau implemented rules for originations and servicing, it’s too early to tell what impact the rules have had, according to industry participants, consumer advocates and even officials at the CFPB. The CFPB this week convened a meeting of its consumer advisory board, a 19-member panel of consumer advocates and other industry participants. Board members had plenty to say about issues in the mortgage market, but evidence about the impact of the CFPB’s rules – the reason for the meeting – was scant. Abhishek Agarwal, the CFPB’s acting assistant director of mortgage markets, said...
SunTrust Mortgage has agreed to pay $968 million to the federal government and 49 state attorneys general to resolve allegations of improper FHA origination and servicing practices. The company will pay $418 million to resolve potential liability under the False Claims Act for flawed FHA loans made from January 2006 through March 2012. …
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