Aggressive refinance solicitation can be a double-edged sword for lenders: It could either result in increased VA refi business or, as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found out, consumer complaints. Since the CFPB began taking mortgage-related complaints in 2012, it has received more than 12,500 complaints from servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Of those complaints, 1,800 were related to VA refinancing. The VA offers two types of refinancing options to eligible borrowers – the VA cash-out refinance and the VA streamline refi, or Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan (IRRRL). In a cash-out refi, the veteran homeowner can refinance a VA or non-VA loan into a lower-rate VA loan and take cash out of home equity to pay off a debt, finance an educational pursuit or pay for a home improvement. The VA will guaranty up to the full value of the home. On the other hand, an IRRRL can only refinance a ...

FHA and VA loan performance improved in the third quarter of 2016 as the delinquency rate on government-backed loans declined on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s latest mortgage delinquency survey. The FHA delinquency rate fell by 16 basis points to 8.30 percent, its lowest level since 4Q97, with all categories – 30-days, 60-days and 90 days + past due – reflecting the decline. Over the quarter, the delinquency rate of FHA loans with payments 30 days past due dropped 4 bps from the previous quarter. Insured loans that were 60 days behind on their payments saw a 6 bps drop in their delinquency rate, while that for seriously delinquent loans fell 9 bps during the period. FHA mortgages showed some declines in performance on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. Approximately 8.70 percent of outstanding FHA loans were past due as of the end of the third quarter, up 25 bps from the ...

Industry Groups Urge Congressional Leaders to Pass ‘Tax Extenders’ Legislation. Three industry groups called upon House and Senate leaders to pass “tax extenders” legislation, including two critical tax provisions that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2016. In a joint letter this week, the Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders called for the “rapid enactment” of a broad “tax extenders” package, including mortgage-debt forgiveness and tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums. Passing a legislative package of tax extenders that includes the two provisions would provide much-needed certainty to the residential real estate markets, the letter said. Federal Agencies Propose Rule to Expand Access to Private Flood Insurance. Federal banking and credit union regulators and the Farm Credit Administration have published a ...

The nine major publicly traded nonbanks active in mortgage banking saw a significant improvement in earnings during the third quarter, but two firms continued to book losses, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of quarterly earnings reports. As a group, the nine nonbanks generated $129.7 billion in mortgage-banking income during the third quarter, a major improvement from their combined $339.5 million loss in the previous period ... [Includes one data chart]

PennyMac Financial Services continued to excel in terms of profitability in the third quarter, as officials cited a “distinctive” hedging strategy, among other efforts. PennyMac had $122.3 million in net income in the third quarter of 2016, up 64.6 percent from the previous period and nearly double the net income it reported a year ago. While interest-rate volatility tends to wreak havoc on earnings, Stanford Kurland, PennyMac’s chairman and CEO, said better-than-expected hedging ...

As yearend approaches, growth-minded nonbank mortgage firms continue to hire new workers while commercial banks are taking a cautious “wait-and-see” approach, according to interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Trends over the past two weeks. “We continue to grow and are currently hiring across the board – technology, mortgage banking, underwriting, marketing and more,” said Jordan Fylonenko, a spokesman for nonbank Quicken Loans, the nation’s second ...

Homebuilders are optimistic about the rising trend in the housing market for persons 55 years of age and over. The National Association of Home Builders’ 55+ Housing Market Index showed an increase of two points to 59 in the third quarter from the previous quarter. That marks the 10th consecutive quarter in which the index has risen above the break-even point of 50, according to the trade group. The two-point increase suggests that more builders view housing-market conditions ...

The average age of first-time homebuyers tied a record high this year, and many potential first-time homebuyers are having difficulties finding affordable properties and saving for a downpayment, according to the National Association of Realtors. NAR’s annual profile of homebuyers and sellers found that the median age of first-timers was 32, up from 31 over the past five years. First-time homebuyers accounted for 35.0 percent of home purchases in 2016, up from a ...

Balancing technological advances in the mortgage space with safety and soundness can be challenging, but it should be considered a priority, according to industry experts on a recent panel in Washington, DC, sponsored by the Urban Institute and CoreLogic. Quicken Loans launched its Rocket Mortgage early this year at a time when an avalanche of new regulations had the industry back on its heels. “While many in the industry were playing a lot of defense, and rightfully so ...

The primary mortgage insurance market remained on track for its best year ever during the third quarter of 2016, as the government-insured sectors gained some ground on private MIs, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. Mortgage lenders originated a record $220.46 billion of home loans with some form of primary MI during the third quarter, a 16.6 percent increase from the previous period. That brought year-to-date primary MI activity to $553.77 billion, just $92.40 billion less than the all-time annual record of $646.17 billion set in 2015. The government-insured market – mostly FHA and VA – was...[Includes three data tables]