The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced proposed changes to the maps the Rural Housing Service uses to determine whether certain areas are eligible for its single-family and multifamily housing programs. RHS reviews the areas it covers every five years to determine which ones would be eligible for USDA home-loan guarantees. The proposed maps are based on RHS’s 2017-2018 review of data collected from the U.S. Bureau of Census 2015 American Community Survey. The ACS provides information about changes in the U.S. population, housing and workforce. The current RHS maps are based on RHS’s 2012-2013 review of the 2010 U.S. Census. The proposed maps will become effective on June 4, 2018. Properties located in areas that have been reclassified from rural to non-rural on the maps’ effective date may qualify for RHS’ housing programs if they meet certain conditions. First, the ...

To Fix FHA, Provide Certainty, Says MBA President. It would be inappropriate for FHA to return to pre-recession levels of insuring loans that led to many of its problems, but lenders are wary of taking up the slack, said David Stevens, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association. Speaking during a forum hosted by the National Fair Housing Alliance, Stevens echoed concerns of fellow panelists that FHA does not work as well as it should. An advocate for removal of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage portfolio from the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, Stevens said doing so would strengthen the fund and provide a more accurate picture o FHA’s forward book of business. It could also lead to the consideration of a mortgage insurance premium reduction he said. But as FHA struggles with issues hampering its ability to provide access to credit, lenders are hesitating to fill the gap because of the ...

Two of the nine MBS issuers that Ginnie Mae singled out for unusual MBS prepayment speeds reportedly have been restricted from the agency’s multi-issuer MBS pools.

Acting Ginnie Mae President Michael Bright said some of the concerns regarding nonbanks raised in a recent Brookings Institute white paper are valid…

One word for crazy signing bonuses paid to LOs: stupid...

But Freddie Mac’s 37.2 percent drop was the biggest, by far…

There appears to be a long line of counterparties willing to work with Ginnie…

There is a lot of interest in Ginnie Mae’s proposed credit-risk transfer pilot with FHA that’s scheduled for later this year, according to the agency’s acting chief.

Stone Point Capital has acquired a controlling stake in due diligence provider American Mortgage Consultants.

Such firms would then be eligible for what he called “concierge services” from the agency.