The Department of Veterans Affairs Home Loan Guaranty staff is reminding VA servicers of new title requirements taking effect this week for conveying properties to the VA. Under VA regulations, a conveyance or transfer of real property to the department is acceptable if the holders of the VA-guaranteed loan provide covenants or warranties against the acts of the holder and/or their agents. In addition, conveyances would be acceptable to the VA if it vests or entitles the agency to such title as is. In addition, the VA would take possession of collateral as long as it is acceptable to prudent lenders, informed buyers, title companies and attorneys in the community in which the property is located. However, the VA’s determination of clear and marketable title rests on state statutory requirements, the agency noted in its guidance. The VA is providing servicers a revised state-by-state list of ...

The California Association of Realtors renewed its push for rules addressing the proliferation of FHA-insured mortgages that have Property Assessed Clean Energy super liens. In a recent letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan, the CAR requested that both FHA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development adopt policy that is consistent with the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s existing policy on PACE liens. Specifically, such a policy would prohibit the use of PACE encumbrances with a “super lien” priority over mortgage financing. The group also urged HUD to issue guidelines directing FHA lenders and servicers not to place PACE liens above any mortgage insured by FHA. The CAR expressed concern about how PACE liens might affect the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, which is currently recovering from years of losses. “If the ..

FHA Revises TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard. Effective on June 11, 2016, the FHA’s TOTAL Mortgage Scorecard no longer returns either upfront or annual mortgage insurance premium factors to an automated underwriting system. The FHA directs lenders to consult Appendix I of its Single Family Housing Policy handbook for applicable MIP factors. AUS vendors have been notified of the change and have adjusted their systems accordingly. HUD, First Citizens Bank Settle Fair Lending Complaint. A South Carolina bank has agreed to correct its lending practices and allocate funding to resolve allegations that it denied more loans to minorities compared to similarly-situated white loan applicants. The settlement agreement stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development against First Citizens Bank and Trust Co. in 2011 after an analysis of ...

The residential servicing market is a slow-changing glacier…

The CFPB will take all of the content and commentary it has provided informally during webinars and at industry events, reconstituting it into some type of formal, definitive, and authoritative guidance.

Fannie Mae has postponed the anticipated release of Desktop Underwriter 10.0, an updated version that included using trended credit data. Something went wrong during the testing phase, prompting the government-sponsored enterprise to announce last week that the program will not be implemented during the weekend of June 25 as planned. Fannie apologized to its customers noting that it would be prudent to delay the release until the issues are addressed. Fannie isn’t...

Millennials are in the dark when it comes to knowing about mortgage resources, lenders said, and recent research shows that there are millions of millennials who could afford to buy a home today but don’t know it. “The problem isn’t always that they don’t qualify or have the credit scores, the big problem is they don’t know it,” said Rob Chrane, CEO of Down Payment Resource, speaking on a mortgage panel at the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in New Orleans last week. “At the same time, we know from our database there are almost 2,500 different programs out there that represent billions of dollars in forms of downpayment assistance and other aid.” Paul Anastos, president of Mortgage Master, a subsidiary of loanDepot, said...

The 12 firms reported a combined $700.6 million in earnings from their servicing operations, a 1.2 percent decline from the fourth quarter…

It was the ninth consecutive quarterly decline in bank ABS investment since the end of 2013…

One trend that appears to be gaining momentum is the increased use of call centers and loan officers working at such shops who are compensated at lower commission rates…