Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-OR, is continuing his pursuit to expand the Home Affordable Refinance Program to non-agency borrowers.

Freddie Mac's CFO said the "true value" provided by the government-sponsored enterprises isn't billions of dollars in profits. Meanwhile, firms continue to pursue mortgage servicing rights.

The House Financial Services Committee recently voted 30‐27 to approve H.R. 2767, the Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners (PATH) Act, the housing reform bill introduced by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R‐TX, the committee chairman. Among the bill’s Title IV provisions are a handful of “regulatory relief” overrides to various CFPB mortgage-related rulemakings. For example, Section 403 includes changes to the points-and-fees definitions for the “qualified mortgage”/ability-to-repay rule that also were included in H.R 1077...

The New York State Department of Financial Services is concerned that the CFPB’s proposed amendments to its mortgage loan servicing rulemaking would interfere with the state’s early-intervention efforts on behalf of delinquent homeowners. Here’s the problem, as NY DFS sees it: Under the CFPB’s proposed amendments to the mortgage rules per the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act/ Regulation X, mortgage servicers are prohibited from making “the first notice or filing required by applicable law for any judicial or non-judicial...

When it comes to guaranty fees, FHFA has taken "meaningful steps" to level the playing field for community lenders, one agency official testified this week.

If anything, the second quarter might be remembered as a period in which banks hiked their MSR values significantly.

Wells Fargo blames regulations for ending its mortgage JVs. Meanwhile, how did the CFPB unearth its information on 'up-selling' at Castle & Cook?

The non-agency jumbo mortgage-backed securities issued by Redwood Trust between March 2010 and November 2012 haven’t taken any losses, according to Kroll Bond Rating Agency. Delinquencies on the securities remain extremely low, and a significant portion of mortgages included in the MBS have prepaid. As of July, three of the nine non-agency jumbo MBS issued by Redwood from 2010 through 2012 had loans that were delinquent. However, the loans were only in the 30-day delinquency bucket ...

Several provisions in FHA solvency legislation are emerging as potential hot-button issues for lenders, according to legal experts. There is growing industry concern over indemnification provisions, which appear to be more stringent in the Senate’s FHA Solvency Act of 2013 than in H.R. 2767, Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act (PATH Act), which the House Financial Services Committee passed this week. Under Title II (FHA reform) of the PATH Act, a lender may be required to indemnify the FHA if the agency determines that ...

The House Financial Services Committee this week reported out a legislative package of housing finance system reforms, including measures designed to reduce FHA’s role in the mortgage marketplace, strengthen lender oversight and avoid a potential taxpayer bailout. The bill, Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act (H.R. 2767), passed by a vote of 30 to 27 despite mixed responses from industry experts, academics, financial trade associations and consumer advocates. Critics called for changes. Offered by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-TX, chairman of the Financial Services Committee, the bill proposes ...