Although Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are working through the pile of potential repurchases related to pre-conservatorship loans, lenders remain concerned about buyback risk – even under the more lender-friendly policies that went into effect this year. “The representations and warranties framework we have in this industry absolutely does not work,” said Brian Fitzpatrick, president and CEO of LoanLogics, during a panel session at this week’s annual convention of the Mortgage Bankers Association. The new reps-and-warranties framework devised by the Federal Housing Finance Agency in January provides...
Early Thursday, EverBank disclosed that it is selling $13.4 billion of Ginnie Mae servicing rights, while transferring $6.9 billion in subservicing to Walter Investment Management Corp.
The long-rumored sale of roughly $60 billion in mortgage servicing rights by Flagstar Bancorp is likely to get signed in the fourth quarter, but the bank continues to be coy about which investor it’s negotiating with. According to servicing advisors familiar with the transaction, Two Harbors Investment Corp. has been talking to the thrift about buying MSRs, but at press time it was unclear if the real estate investment trust is the winning bidder on the deal. Officials from both firms declined to comment. Flagstar, in a recent earnings call, confirmed...
Efforts to redefine the FHA’s mission under the pretense of eliminating taxpayer risk would be counterproductive to the goal of housing finance reform, warned FHA Commissioner Carol Galante. In recent remarks to a housing reform forum in Washington, DC, Galante said that while housing reform is necessary, restricting the FHA’s ability to perform its dual mission in response to perceived risk is not the way to go. This type of over-correction would damage access to affordable credit, she cautioned. Apparently referring to pending House Republican reform proposals for the government-sponsored enterprises and the FHA, Galante said...
According to figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance, the GSEs took in $16 billion from buybacks during the first six months of 2013. At the same time, lenders succeeded in getting $7 billion in repurchase requests withdrawn.
“The president believes that Rep. Watt is the very best person to lead the agency at this important time for the housing market and our economy, and that having a confirmed FHFA director in place will help promote certainty for the housing industry,” said a White House spokesman.
Legislative reform of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the FHA will take years, according to panelists at the Mortgage Bankers Association's annual convention.
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