Returning appraisal regulations back to the individual states would be counterproductive, according to James Park, executive director of the Appraisal Subcommittee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. Park and other experts spoke about the need for standardization and modernization at a hearing in the House Financial Services Committee this week. “Replacing the federal system with a state-based system would confuse, not streamline,” he said, noting that the “cornucopia” of statutes and guidelines are confusing and burdensome for everyone. Bill Garber, director of government and external relations at the Appraisal Institute, agreed...

According to Fannie’s website, the moratorium on bulk MSR transfers does not affect concurrent transfers.

In addition, each programming change would need to be tested…

And there’s a school of thought that says rates have risen too quickly and by too much...

HUD officials attributed the strong audit results to a much improved single-family forward portfolio…

It’s safe to say that many mortgage CEOs and their attorneys are cheering on Quicken. It’s not often that a lender fights back this strong against the government in an FHA.

KBW believes that while the capital measurement for forward loans is likely to increase, the chances of a premium cut is low.

Meanwhile, the share price of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac common continues to rise...

Last week’s surprise presidential victory by Republican billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump means some big changes for rulemaking and enforcement activities at the CFPB, to the benefit of the financial services industry, according to the consensus of a variety of analysts and experts. The most likely changes have to do with replacing the bureau’s single director leadership structure a bipartisan commission, and subjecting the agency to the congressional appropriations process. But the tenure of the current director, Richard Cordray, also could come into play, some feel. FBR & Co. analyst Edward Mills and his team predict the agency will have a new director “following the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling [involving PHH Corp.] that allows the president to ...