Total FHA delinquencies rose slightly while the percentage of seriously delinquent loans remained flat in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to an Inside FHA Lending analysis of FHA servicing data. Data showed delinquencies of 90 days or more remained unchanged at 8.1 percent from the previous quarter even as total FHA delinquencies increased a bit to 15.2 percent from 15.1 quarter over quarter. The share of loans that are 30-60 days behind on their payment also increased to 7.1 percent from 6.9 percent over the same period. As of Dec. 31, FHA servicers had a combined ... [1 chart]

Although the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac common securitization platform is now legally incorporated, has a signed lease for office space in suburban Maryland and is growing staff, it still doesn’t have a chief executive and chairman – two essentials to be taken seriously by the market. “It’s pretty much turned into the mess I suspected it would a year ago,” said one former candidate for the CEO job, who spoke under the condition his name not be used. Discussing the chairman position, he added...

President Obama’s scant mention of housing finance reform or mortgage policy during this week’s State of the Union address was not entirely a surprise, say industry observers, but an administration official’s remarks last week on the Home Affordable Refinance Program’s outlook were more encouraging. Obama spoke of housing exactly twice during his prime time speech: first to describe the housing market as “rebounding” and again to demand from Congress “legislation that protects the taxpayers from footing the bill for a housing crisis ever again.” Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac were mentioned...

Ocwen Financial agreed to purchase the servicing rights on $39.2 billion of mortgages from Wells Fargo. The mortgages included in the deal are largely in non-agency mortgage-backed securities. Ocwen will pay $2.7 billion. The Obama administration renewed calls for Congress to approve legislation that would establish a refinance program for non-agency borrowers. The administration has been pushing for a non-agency refi program since at least early 2012 but Republicans in Congress ... [Includes three briefs]

Spurred by low interest rates and strong house price appreciation, Home Equity Conversion Mortgage loan originations rose 20.3 percent during the first nine months of 2013 compared to the same period the year before, according to Inside FHA Lending’s analysis of FHA snapshot data. HECM lenders reported $11.8 billion in total originations over the nine-month period, with initial principal amount at loan origination totaling $7.8 billion. Purchase reverse mortgage loans comprised 94.5 percent while fixed-rate mortgages accounted for ... [1 chart]

The FHA saw its share of the first-time homebuyer market drop slightly in 2013 because of higher fees and stringent mortgage insurance requirements, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. First-time homebuyers still comprise a solid chunk of FHA’s traditional base, but there has been some erosion in the past year, the survey of real estate agents found. The decline was due to changes implemented by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which resulted in higher mortgage insurance premiums for FHA loans. The agency also ...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development will accept electronic signatures on FHA loan documents provided the lender complies with the department’s latest e-sign guidelines. E-signatures are voluntary under current HUD rules. Effective immediately, however, HUD will accept such signatures on FHA paperwork relating to mortgage insurance, servicing and loss mitigation, FHA insurance claims, HUD real estate-owned sales contracts and related addenda as long as they meet the new requirements. The new policy applies to all FHA forward mortgages and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage loans. HUD will treat eligible e-signatures as ...

California lenders and realtors will appeal to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to reconsider changes in the FHA 2014 loan limits. Lenders doing business in counties that have been hard hit by the loan-limit changes are reportedly gathering data to support future requests to HUD to recalculate loan limits for a specific local area. An industry source said lenders in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario housing market are gearing up to petition HUD to recalculate the FHA loan limits in those areas. Specifically, the median sales price for a one-unit property in the affected areas fell ...

The Senate this week passed bipartisan legislation that would delay unforeseen, excessive flood-insurance premium hikes for FHA and conventional mortgages nationwide. S. 1926, the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, passed by a vote of 67 to 32, as amended. Introduced by Sens. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, and Johnny Isakson, R-GA, the bill would delay rate increases for up to four years by giving the Federal Emergency Management Agency time to study the problem and develop a plan to help homeowners who cannot afford higher premiums. The increases were mandated by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, which Congress ...

Ginnie Mae is considering lengthening the approval time for transfers of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) to 90 days or more from the current 30 days but has yet to issue guidance. The agency alerted sellers of MSRs and their investment banking advisors of the forthcoming change in late November at an “education summit” in Washington, according to a participant, who preferred anonymity. New and existing issuers participated in the event, and a copy of Ginnie Mae’s presentation was provided to Inside Mortgage Finance, an affiliated publication. Ginnie Mae declined to comment on the report. However, according to the presentation, the reason for ...