HUD Hires Expert to Improve FHA Operations, Risk Management. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced Biniam Gebre as the new general deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Housing. He will be joining the FHA leadership team. Before joining HUD, Gebre served as a principal at global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., where he led a company-wide, public-sector initiative to develop insights, tools and approaches for building capabilities in ...
FHA chief Carol Galante expressed concern about the absence of any provision in the bill that would ensure servicer accountability for their performance.
On average FHA took 340 days to sell REO properties based on dispositions from January 2008 through June 2012, compared to just over 200 days for Fannie, Freddie and VA.
Its no secret that the market for nonperforming mortgages has improved nicely this year, but now there are signs of life in the re-performing sector as well, especially among investors that hope to package and securitize the notes. According to Jeana Curro, director of agency MBS strategy for Royal Bank of Scotland, the re-performing MBS market is small, although not insignificant. But getting a true handle on MBS backed by re-performing loans can be...
The Fed chief told elected officials that whatever housing finance reform plan they choose to replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, it should be clear to private investors about the governments role in the market.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson, D-SD, and Ranking Minority Member Mike Crapo, R-ID, have released a draft FHA solvency bill that is far less ambitious than legislation proposed by House GOP leaders last week. The Senate bill, the FHA Solvency Act of 2013, would essentially shore up the existing FHA program by allowing higher mortgage insurance premiums and requiring a bigger capital buffer. The housing finance reform bill introduced by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-TX, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would significantly change the FHA program by narrowing its focus and limiting the depth of coverage it provides. The draft Senate bill contains...
Compliance experts are urging FHA lenders to express their concerns about a potential new enforcement regime the Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed that could raise the risks of doing business with the FHA. The HUD proposal, which was published as a notice in the Federal Register with a comment deadline of Sept. 9, seeks comment on measures that would further enhance quality assurance in origination, underwriting and servicing. HUD has routinely used quality assurance methods, including routine and targeted audits, post-endorsement loan reviews and monitoring of early default and claim rates to evaluate lender compliance. Attorneys with K&L Gates cautioned...