Specifically, the CFPB is seeking comment on what consumers find most problematic about the closing process, including errors and changes at the closing table and the involvement of third-parties.
The FHFA IG audit estimates that some 9.5 percent of claims for pre-foreclosure property inspections in 2011 and 2012 resulted in $5 million of overpayments by Fannie Mae.
Mortgage lenders large and small have indicated they plan to stay away from making mortgages that do not fit into either the safe harbor or the rebuttable presumption QM boxes.
As expected, the Mortgage Bankers Association this week lowered its 2014 origination forecast to $1.12 trillion, a $57 billion decrease from its previous estimate. Word of the reduction was making the rounds last week.
The GSEs' largesse is gaining new attention in Washington with the news that the two helped the U.S. government post a budget surplus of $53 billion in December.
The MBA suggested the CFPB increase the "rebuttable presumption" threshold from 150 basis points above the average prime offer rate to 250 basis points so more borrowers with less-than-perfect credit can benefit.
It is not a matter of “if” or even “when” but rather “how” the remaining defendants settle lawsuits filed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency over billions in non-agency MBS sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the years leading up to the housing crisis. Last week, the FHFA announced it recovered $7.88 billion in civil settlements in 2013 from seven of the 18 defendants the agency took to court in 2011. Eleven firms have yet to settle, with Bank of America facing the largest exposure because of its ownership of Countrywide Financial Corp. and Merrill Lynch, two of the largest issuers in the now-defunct subprime MBS market. In its original claim, the conservator of Fannie and Freddie accused...[Includes one data chart]