American International Group this week cleared the air regarding a potential spinoff of its profitable mortgage insurance division, saying it likes the MI business very much and considers it a “core” asset. In other words, it’s not for sale. Then again, during AIG’s third-quarter earnings call, President and CEO Peter Hancock left open the door to a possible sale of United Guaranty, saying that “over time” the company likes to maintain its flexibility and that if the “right offer to monetize assets” came along, it would ponder a bid. “It gives...

The overall delinquency rates for VA and FHA mortgage loans rose in the third quarter of 2015 due to increases in both 30-60 and 60-90 day delinquencies, according to agency data. Approximately 96.5 percent of VA loans in Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities remained current in the third quarter, down slightly from the second quarter, suggesting more borrowers have become past due during the period. VA 30-day and 60-day delinquencies rose to 2.44 percent and 0.23 percent, respectively, while the percentage of VA loans 90 days or more past due fell to 0.84 percent. The remaining principal balance of securitized VA loans was $426.8 billion, up 5.1 percent from the prior quarter. Meanwhile, the share of FHA loans in Ginnie Mae pools that were current dropped to 93.8 percent in the third quarter from 94.2 percent in the prior quarter. FHA 30-day delinquencies increased to ... [ 1 chart ]

Servicing of FHA loans pooled into Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities rose 2.1 percent in the third quarter of 2015. Three megabanks in the top five-servicer tier accounted for a significant share of the market. Ginnie Mae servicers of FHA collateral reported $969.0 billion outstanding at Sept. 30, with Wells Fargo accounting for 27.9 percent of total servicing volume. Wells Fargo, Chase Home Finance (#2) and Bank of America (#5) combined to service 39.3 percent of FHA outstanding as of the end of the quarter. PennyMac Corp. closed the quarter with a $57.7 billion FHA servicing portfolio, good enough for third place and 6.0 percent of the market. Fourth-ranked NationStar Mortgage reported a $53.6 billion servicing portfolio at the end of the ... [ 1 chart ]

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is clamoring for reform of existing FHA condo rules, saying that temporary guidance issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2012 has failed to boost the condominium market. In a letter to HUD Secretary Julian Castro, 69 House members called for policy changes that would relax FHA restrictions to facilitate the purchase and sale of condominiums. Condos are the most affordable homeownership option for first-time homebuyers, small urban families and elderly Americans, the letter pointed out. “The FHA certification process can be daunting, especially for smaller properties and those without professional management,” it stated. “It takes significant time and resources to collect the required information and provide the necessary paperwork to become certified, and this must be done every two years.” Lapsed condo certifications are also a problem because ...

Community lenders renewed their call for a further cut in FHA mortgage insurance premiums amid speculation that a healthier FHA insurance fund could lead to another reduction. But analysts are less optimistic about another premium reduction for different reasons. In a letter to FHA Acting Commissioner Edward Golding, the Community Home Lenders Association asked that the annual MIP be reduced to the pre-crisis level of 0.55 percent when FHA’s capital reserve ratio returns to the statutory 2.0 percent level. The call comes less than a month before FHA issues its highly anticipated annual actuarial report on the state of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. There is speculation within the mortgage industry that the FY 2015 report will show improved FHA fundamentals, bringing the fund closer or over its statutory 2.0 percent capital reserve ratio. The report is expected to highlight the positive results of a ...

Servicers of FHA mortgage loans dodged a regulatory bullet after the Department of Housing and Urban Development withdrew part of a recently proposed rule, which would terminate insurance coverage if an FHA claim were not filed within a certain period. HUD withdrew the provision under heavy pressure from mortgage lenders, servicers and other industry participants, who expressed concern over the punitive penalty for missing prescribed filing deadlines. Published on July 6, 2015, the proposed rule, among other things, would have established a deadline for filing FHA insurance claims to address the problem of delayed claims filing, which put a strain on FHA resources. Late filings were tolerated previously but the problem worsened after the financial crisis when servicers began submitting FHA claims in bunches, causing processing bottlenecks and longer turnaround time for ...

The California Housing Finance Agency is planning to add VA loans to its list of mortgage programs, with an offer of downpayment assistance. Kenneth Giebel, CHFA director of homeownership, said the agency plans to have a VA loan program in place in early 2016 to complement other first-mortgage programs. In addition, the agency is considering adding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s guaranteed single family home loan program to its current product menu. Currently, the CHFA is working with the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) in providing home loans to qualified veterans and servicemembers. There are 31 military installations located throughout California, home to nearly 2 million veterans. A CalVet VA loan utilizes a veterans’ or service member’s VA eligibility and provides 100 percent financing. The department also has a Fannie Mae 97 loan-to-value ratio product, which ...

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the FHA have issued guidelines concerning the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule as it relates to VA- and FHA-backed mortgages. The new TRID rule covers loan applications received on or after Oct. 3, 2015. It replaced Truth-in-Lending-Act disclosures and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s closing (HUD-1) settlement statement. The rule requires that all covered loans be closed using the new closing disclosure. The VA has announced new closing-disclosure guidelines and a new mandatory method for the stacking order of loan files selected for full-loan review. According to the VA, all files selected for full review on or after Oct. 3 may include the HUD-1 statement. The agency is aware that loans will be requested that have the HUD-1 closing document, and that it will perform the full file review with the ...

A trade association representing large financial institutions has asked the FHA to clarify its policy regarding the use of downpayment assistance programs on home purchases financed with FHA mortgage loans. The differences in the interpretation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general and the FHA of downpayment assistance programs (DAP), especially by state housing finance agencies, has created uncertainty among lenders, according to the Consumer Mortgage Coalition. In a letter to HUD Secretary Julian Castro, the CMC expressed concern that lenders may become unwilling to continue offering loans with assisted financing because of legal uncertainty. “This would be unfortunate for moderate-income borrowers nationwide, and it would unnecessarily limit the ability of [state housing finance agencies] to function,” the group said. SHFAs do not rely on taxpayer funding for ...

The FHA has extended the period during which servicers must identify delinquent Home Equity Conversion Mortgage loans that have become due and payable or against which an initial legal action has been taken because they are no longer curable. In April, the FHA issued guidance that granted mortgagees 180 days, or until Oct. 23, 2015, to review their portfolios and bring defaulted HECM loans into compliance with the mandatory foreclosure timelines. On Oct. 16, the agency extended the timelines through Jan. 18, 2016. The initial guidance laid out loss mitigation options that HECM servicers may provide when property charges are not paid in accordance with the terms of the HECM loan. HECM loans that are subject to a repayment plan may continue as long as they remain current, said the FHA. Otherwise, lender/servicers must follow the requirements in the April guidance. The loss mitigation options are not available ...