Neither PHH Corp. nor the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will ask the Supreme Court of the United States to review a lower court decision that overturned the agency’s controversial interpretation of anti-kickback provisions in the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.
Also, there’s a growing fear that in the absence of Congressional action, a free-market leaning Treasury Department, in tandem with a Trump-appointed FHFA director, might alter the way GSEs operate...
With overall production levels falling, there was a modest increase in several risk vectors of FHA and VA loans pooled in Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities during the first quarter of 2018.A new Inside FHA/VA Lending analysis shows the average credit score for FHA loans in Ginnie MBS issued during the first quarter was 671.1, the lowest level since Ginnie began reporting loan-level data on its securities. That was down from 673.2 in the fourth quarter and 679.2 a year ago. Part of the slide in FHA credit scores likely reflects the increased share of purchase mortgages, which typically have lower scores than refinance loans. The same thing happened in the VA market, where average credit scores fell 1.1 points to 707.8 in the first quarter. A year ago, the average VA score was 710.2. Debt-to-income ratios also drifted higher, suggesting more risk of default. Among FHA loans, the average DTI rose to ... [Charts]
Acting FHA Commissioner Dana Wade voiced concern over increasing shares of FHA-insured loans with high debt-to-income ratios, cash-out refinances and purchase loans with downpayment assistance. Testifying recently before the House Appropriations Committee on the agency’s FY 2019 budget, Wade warned that such disturbing trends suggest that FHA’s exposure to loss could rise and put the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund and taxpayers at risk. Wade said FHA’s financial health and the impact of the volatile reverse mortgage portfolio are a continuing concerns. Last year, the fund’s economic net worth declined by $1.9 billion and the capital reserve ratio fell to 2.09 percent from 2.35 percent the previous year due to losses associated with Home Equity Conversion Mortgage loans. Wade noted an increase in the proportion of borrowers with DTI ratios in excess of 50 percent. In February, the ...