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 ...
It looks like the CFPB might be contemplating new disclosures for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages, otherwise known as reverse mortgages. The agenda for the Nov. 2 meeting of the bureau’s Consumer Advisory Board, which was posted online recently, indicates the panel “will discuss Know Before You Owe: Reverse Mortgages, financial well-being, trends and themes, and payday, vehicle title, and certain high-cost installment loans.” The use of the phrase “Know Before You Owe” suggests a new disclosure regime for reverse mortgages could be in the offing. The CAB meeting announcement also indicates that written comments will be accepted from interested members of the public. They should be sent to CFPB_CABandCouncilsEvents@cfpb.gov at least seven days before the meeting. “The comments will be ...
MBA chief Dave Stevens: “What happens if the president nominates a new [FHFA] director who thinks the government role in mortgage finance is too large and wants to scale it back?"
Cowen: “We continue to believe the Senate Banking Committee must release a legislative plan in 2017 for Fannie and Freddie if it is to be enacted in the 115th Congress.”
Most servicers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac single-family mortgage-backed securities saw growth in their servicing portfolios during the third quarter, but a handful of top banks continued to buck the trend.A new Inside The GSEs analysis of MBS disclosures shows $4.629 trillion of Fannie/Freddie servicing outstanding at the end of September. That was up 1.8 percent from the previous quarter, with Fannie (up 2.1 percent) gaining market share on Freddie (up 1.3 percent). Ginnie Mae servicing remained a faster-growing market, with $1.749 trillion outstanding, up 2.2 percent from the end of June. Large banks continued to show tepid interest in the GSE servicing market.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are poised to report robust earnings for the third quarter, likely blowing past results of the prior two periods, according to an analysis by Inside The GSEs. The only question now is this: Just how good will it be? “And most of that money will be swept into the Treasury,” noted Tim Rood, a former Fannie Mae executive who now heads The Collingwood Group. Not only did the GSEs benefit from a strong origination and MBS issuance market in 3Q17, but a previously announced legal settlement with Royal Bank of Scotland will finally hit the books.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt said the likelihood of a draw from Treasury is growing fast in a reply letter to the 15 trade groups that wrote late last month advocating for legislation instead of recapitalization. Watt reiterated his position in the Oct. 12 letter and said while he appreciates their views, he has expressed “repeatedly and publicly” that the declining capital buffers leave Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with no ability to absorb potential losses. “FHFA is concerned that in the absence of a sufficient buffer, normal operating losses, such as from interest rate volatility and the accounting treatment of...
GSE guaranty fees were down slightly in 2016 with the average fee falling from 59 basis points to 57 basis points, according to a new Federal Housing Finance Agency report published this week. But the pricing decline wasn't due to changes in the credit risk of loans. The drop reflected FHFA’s decision to establish minimum g-fees that took effect in November 2016. The report noted that the lower fees led to a larger negative gap, which reflects expected returns slightly below the target returns. “The average guarantee fee in 2016 on fixed-rate, 30-year loans fell by 2 bps to 61 bps; the fee on fixed-rate, 15-year loans fell by 4 bps to 37 bps.
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