The Federal Reserve is pointing its finger at both loan officers and applicants for the misreporting of borrower income.

Wells Fargo is the latest megabank to settle buyback claims with a GSE. Who might be next?

Collateral was much less of an issue in the purchase market, accounting for just 14 percent of conventional denials.

The government accused the San Diego-based Plaza Home of charging black and Hispanic borrowers higher fees than white borrowers on mortgages sourced through the wholesale channel.

Critics of program contend that the strings attached by Fannie Mae require too much oversight of REO investors, driving away potential top bidders.

The mortgage and housing sectors expect the Federal Housing Finance Agency to unveil lower GSE loan limits this fall – it’s just a matter of when. A handful of developments are affecting the timing of that decision, including intense lobbying by the National Association of Realtors and National Association of Home Builders, and a growing concern that mortgage bankers are already swamped with implementation deadlines tied to a slew of new rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bank of America and its acquired headache, Countrywide, accounted for the biggest chunk of mortgage repurchases from the government-sponsored enterprises during the first half of the year, but the focus shifted to different lenders during the second quarter. A new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of repurchase disclosures made by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shows that BofA repurchased $8.73 billion in mortgages – most of them originated by Countrywide – during the first six months of 2013 ... [Includes one data chart]

Fannie Mae’s inadequate internal controls on outsourced servicer reimbursements – and late-to-the-party oversight by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – cost the GSE $89 million in overpayments last year, according to a recent report by the FHFA Office of Inspector General.

Will the White House ask Freddie to fork over its deferred tax assets? Holders of "junior preferred" and common class GSE stock hope to increase the value of their holdings. Fannie Mae kills its inactivity fee. And Fannie hires a manager for its part of the Common Securitization Platform.

The 12 Federal Home Loan Banks saw a hefty 9.6 percent increase in the volume of advances outstanding during the second quarter of 2013, but the outlook for the FHLBank’s primary money-maker remains cloudy. (Includes one data chart.)