The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs have taken additional steps to provide relief to homeowners in disaster areas hit by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. This week, the FHA issued policy waivers in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico and fire-stricken counties in California, allowing damage inspections to be completed beginning Oct. 24. FHA currently requires servicers to perform a damage inspection following the close of an “incident period” as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. An incident period is the period For mortgages in disaster areas that have not closed or are pending endorsement, lenders must follow FHA’s guidelines on inspection and repair escrow requirements for loans in such areas. FHA believes that situations in certain jurisdictions in Puerto Rico and California have stabilized and further damage to ...
Mortgage originations continued to gain momentum in the third quarter of 2017, although most experts are calling for a slowdown in the final three months of the year. An estimated $495.0 billion of first-lien home loans were originated during the third quarter, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. That represented an 8.8 percent increase over the April-June cycle and brought year-to-date production to $1.335 trillion – off ... [Includes two data charts[
Despite opposition from industry members worried about legal implications, the Federal Housing Finance Agency decided to add a language-preference question to a redesigned loan application that will be required for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in February 2020. On Oct. 20, the FHFA announced that the question will be added to the loan application to enable borrowers who prefer to communicate in a language other than English to identify that language. The Fannie/Freddie regulator also ...
Among the standouts in terms of lending growth were Freedom Mortgage, Caliber Home Loans, United Wholesale, and Home Point Financial, Inside Mortgage Finance found…
In a development likely to further fuel speculation that his boss is on his way out the door, Anthony Alexis, the head of enforcement at the CFPB, will leave the agency for parts unknown after more than five years at the bureau. The exact date of his departure is to be determined, as he plans to remain until his successor is chosen. No official announcement was made, but a bureau official confirmed the news.CFPB Director Richard Cordray noted: “As our chief of enforcement, Tony has been my strong right arm, just as he was to Kent Markus who preceded him in that role. Together, they have earned the respect and admiration of many – including me – for their fierce integrity ...