Institutional investors that loaded up on mortgage stocks the past two years have been battered by huge losses thanks to a 34 percent plunge in originations and negative publicity generated by industry bellwether Ocwen Financial and some of its peers. But with some mortgage stocks – such as Owen – trading at 80 percent discounts to their 52-week highs, now may be the time to “re-enter” the volatile world of mortgage equities. At least, that’s how some hedge funds and private-equity firms view the matter. According to Henry Coffey, a vice president and senior analyst at Sterne Agee, there are...

Lawmakers and regulators alike cited the recent move by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to liberalize its ability-to-repay rule somewhat as an example of the kind of adjustments that can be made to help ease the regulatory burden for smaller financial institutions, especially those operating in underserved markets. “A few weeks ago, the CFPB announced changes to its mortgage rules – a win for small lenders, particularly those in underserved rural areas,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-OH, ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, during a hearing early this week. “There is...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development declined to comment on the progress on revised policy drafts that may help reduce lender liability and ease back-end enforcement actions. The FHA is considering procedural changes aimed at easing lender liability to spur more FHA lending to qualified, underserved borrowers. Specifically, FHA is reportedly working to raise the bar on loan certification violations, making it harder to sue lenders for unintentional or technical mistakes. Such a change could spur...

M&T Bank is facing lending discrimination allegations in U.S. District Court in Manhattan after a fair housing group claimed to have accumulated evidence of disparate treatment between qualified minority borrowers and less-qualified white mortgage applicants. The Fair Housing Justice Center, a New-York based nonprofit, accused M&T Bank of violating the Fair Housing Act by offering higher loan amounts to white borrowers and allowing more flexible criteria than those made available for minority borrowers. As of press time, M&T did not respond...

What did the FHA earn last year? The new HUD secretary didn't know.

NewDay's chairman emeritus is former Ginnie Mae president Joe Murin.

According to the MBA, a Big Four accounting firm issued controversial guidance which would have been burdensome for small MBS issuers.

Citadel Servicing Corp., which has made a name for itself as a new-style subprime lender, has rolled out an Alt A mortgage called “Maggi.”

Treasury counselor Michael Stegman noted that policymakers on both sides of the aisle are dissatisfied with the current status quo regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

A proposal from FHA could see the light of day within six weeks, some have speculated.