Home Partners of America, a single-family rental company affiliated with MBS veteran Lewis Ranieri, has been quietly gobbling up homes across the U.S., and may have its eye on tapping the securitization market. “They are very active,” said one associate close to Ranieri, who spoke under the condition his name not be used. Moreover, Home Partners – formerly known as Hyperion Homes LLC – recently received...

There’s a growing fear that the CSBS might move to increase capital standards for nonbank originators as well.

Fannie Mae has begun purchasing rural housing loans with a Department of Agriculture/Rural Development guarantee. The government-sponsored enterprise accepted delivery of Section 502 (RD-502) loans from USDA-approved lenders on Nov. 3 – an open challenge to Ginnie Mae, which has dominated the market. The loans were delivered as standard products with no variance required. Other government-backed loans such as FHA and VA continue to require a negotiated variance. The Section 502 single-family guaranteed housing loan program provides financing to low- to moderate-income rural homebuyers. A community is eligible for 30-year fixed-rate RD-502 loans if it is located in an area that meets the USDA’s definition of “rural.” The Farm Bill, signed into law in February of this year, defines “rural” as any area outside of city limits with a ...

Several weeks back, a FHFA official told IMFnews that just 18 members would be affected by the captive rule, mostly REITs.

In regard to misrepresentations, relief will not be offered if it can be proved that a borrower was misled by the originator. And, of course, any mortgage subject to fraud must be bought back.

A GSE bill? Since Congress and President Obama have such a strong track record of working together on legislation we know how that’s going to turn out…

Mortgage originations increased in all the major product categories during the third quarter of 2014, although new adjustable-rate mortgage lending was down slightly. A new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis shows that conventional-conforming originations increased by 11.7 percent from the second quarter to the third. That was slightly faster than the 10.2 percent increase in jumbo production and the 10.1 percent rise in government-insured lending. The home-equity market showed...[Includes two data charts]

The outgoing chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee this week urged the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to look to a final resolution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while the progressives on the panel pressed the regulator and former Democrat congressman hard to approve principal reductions. “Everyone agrees that conservatorship cannot continue forever, so I hope my colleagues will keep working towards a more certain future for the housing market,” said Sen. Tim Johnson, D-SD, during a hearing with FHFA Director Mel Watt this week. But if “Congress cannot agree on a smooth, more certain path forward I urge you, Director Watt, to engage the Treasury Department in talks to end the conservatorship.” Watt did not address...

The two GSEs have been in conservatorship for six-plus years now, with no legislative solution to their future in sight.

The new bulletin discusses standards and guidelines on verification of disability income, including those under the CFPB’s ability-to-repay rule.