The FHA is easing the waiting period and eligibility criteria for certain borrowers with previous bankruptcies, foreclosures, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure and short sales who would like to purchase a home again. According to Mortgagee Letter 2013-26, borrowers who may be otherwise ineligible for an FHA-insured mortgage due to the agency’s required waiting period may now be able to apply for a new purchase mortgage loan because of the shortened waiting period and if they meet the criteria. This latest initiative to help borrowers whose credit had been impaired by the financial crisis is called ...

The reverse mortgage lending industry is working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to implement two policy changes that would strengthen the FHA’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program. One policy change involves the development of a new HECM option that combines features of the fixed-rate, full-draw HECM Standard and the HECM Saver, according to Peter Bell, president and chief executive officer of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. HUD eliminated the standard 30-year, fixed-rate HECM in April because ...

Just how brutal will this mortgage correction be? One thing's for certain: loan officers with close ties to Realtors and builders will be golden.

Lenders must correct erroneous disclosures concerning mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) before submitting loans for FHA insurance, according to new FHA guidance. In an update to Mortgagee Letter 2013-04, FHA Commissioner Carol Galante said some mortgages originated since the termination of the MIP cancellation policy earlier this year still contain incorrect MIP-related disclosures. Under the revised policy, MIPs are no longer cancellable when the current loan-to-value ratio reaches 78 percent. Rather, MIP payments must be made over the entire life of the FHA-insured loan. The change is aimed at increasing ...

Lenders must consider debt disputes, collection accounts and judgments in analyzing a borrower’s credit worthiness because they are indicators of the borrower’s ability and willingness to meet his or her credit obligations, according to the FHA. In recently issued guidance, the FHA said lenders should analyze all collections and judgments, past and present, because they may indicate a borrower’s disregard for credit obligations. Such analysis helps decide whether a loan should be approved for FHA insurance, the agency said. The FHA amended its guidance on collections and disputed accounts in Mortgagee Letter 2013-24, and further clarified ...

When LoanDepot and imortgage.com merge don't expect any layoffs to occur. Meanwhile, speculators are shorting PHH's stock.

The $11.6 billion deal resolved Fannie's long-standing claims that BofA sold the GSE defective mortgages and mishandled various loans it serviced for Fannie between 2000 and 2008.

Significant opposition to lowering the GSE loan limits will come from Realtors, home builders and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

The CFPB, HUD and the Department of Justice have all gone on record asserting that disparate impact claims are viable under the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.

With Fannie lowering its LTV maximum it will reduce the pool of eligible GSE borrowers and likely shift those loans over to FHA, which means private mortgage insurance firms will lose business.