Home-price increases continued uninterrupted in early 2018 despite predictions by some industry analysts that tax reform enacted in December could have a negative impact on the housing market. Analysts add that the full impact of tax reform has yet to play out, though early returns look promising.

The GSE reform draft expected from Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-TX, likely won’t see the light of day until sometime in mid-April, according to industry lobbyists and trade officials tracking its progress.Meanwhile, it’s safe to say some degree of apathy is setting in for the simple reason that even if a draft appears, few believe it will be bipartisan in nature, which means it will never become law, at least not in this Congress. “No one cares,” said one senior trade group official who spoke under the condition he not be identified.This official said his focus is now squarely on regulatory relief and reforming certain aspects of the...

Fannie Announces Community Impact NPL Winners. Fannie Mae announced this week that the winning bidder for its 11th and 12th Community Impact pools of non-performing loans was VRMTG ACQ, LLC (VWH Capital Management, LP), a minority- and woman-owned business. The transaction is expected to close on May 22, 2018, and includes approximately 182 loans totaling $34.25 million in unpaid principal balance, divided between two pools focused in the Orlando and Tampa areas of Florida. GSE Foreclosure Preventions Surpass 4M. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported this week that the GSEs completed 67,569 foreclosure prevention actions in the fourth quarter of 2017, bringing the total number of homeowners helped to 4.04 million since 2008. But, thanks to the fall...

Legislation that would protect veterans from predatory lending that was passed by the Senate recently could have lasting impacts on the VA home-loan guaranty program, according to legal experts. S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act, passed on March 14 by a vote of 67-31. Sixteen Democrats and one Independent joined all 50 Republicans in passing the bill. Primarily, the bill would loosen stringent rules in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act designed to prevent the bad business practices that led to the 2008 financial crisis. A stand-alone bipartisan bill introduced by Sens. Thom Tillis, R-NC, and Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, in January was added to S. 2155 shortly before the Senate vote. The Tillis-Warren bill, Protecting Veterans from Predatory Lending Act of 2018, addresses the issue of serial refinancing, or loan churning, in which the victims are veterans. Churning refers to the ...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service has extended its two-tiered income limit pilot for the single-family housing programs as it works on a rulemaking change. Started in FY 2015, the pilot determines the area loan limits for USDA loans, using 80 percent of the FHA loan limits for forward single-family loans. Since FY 2003, RHS has set area loan limits using either one of two methods. The first method is based on the cost to construct a modest home as provided by a nationally recognized cost provider, plus the market value of an improved lot based on recent sales data. The second method uses loan limits by the state housing authority as long as the limits do not exceed 10 percent of the cost plus the market value of an improved lot. Regardless of the method used, the area loan limit may not exceed the FHA single-family mortgage limit. However, the FHA loan limits created a ...

The regulatory relief bill recently passed by the Senate would reduce uncertainty for future ABS tied to Property Assessed Clean Energy financing programs, rating services said.

Housing-finance reform appears to be in the process of a slow death for 2018 partly because of the pending departure of key players, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts.

The Senate bill to roll back various parts of the Dodd-Frank Act has been stalled in the House, where leading Republicans have asked for additional provisions that would further relax regulations.

The staff of Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-TX, is putting the finishing touches on a plan to reform the nation’s housing-finance system, but several lobbyists and trade group officials question what impact the proposal will have.

The Structured Finance Industry Group wants to make sure any housing-finance reform bill ensures continued liquidity in the MBS market. The Wall Street group recently penned a letter to Sens. Bob Corker, R-TN, and Mark Warner, D-VA, to give feedback on a draft version of the Senate bill.