After sweeping Republican victories in elections this week, questions arise over who will lead the FHA, Ginnie Mae and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Currently, if an individual loan in a Ginnie Mae pool has a defect, the entire pool is ineligible for sale, limiting an issuer’s options to transfer servicing rights.

Mortgage servicers and agency officials speaking at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s recent annual convention shared their experiences implementing the new VASP loss-mitigation program.

Three researchers at the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center believe a zero-downpayment FHA loan would be the most cost-effective way to expand first-time homeownership.

FHA and Ginnie Mae officials are working to ensure HECMs are available by implementing various reforms.

Chairs of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs lose re-election bids; HUD announces sale of residential loans on non-vacant properties; FHA issues standards for flood risk management tied to minimum property standards; FHA appraisal data added to Uniform Appraisal Dataset.

Officials from the government agencies last week discussed plans to boost nonbank liquidity to ensure the entities can survive the next housing crisis.

The Mortgage Bankers Association warned that the proposed changes would expose servicers to new operational and regulatory risks.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court decision denying a breach of contract claim against the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

FHA released a draft mortgagee letter this week proposing new nonjudicial foreclosure processes for mortgage liens held by the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.