Outlook for Wells’ participation in FHA market unclear; Biden signs legislation to improve VA appraisals; MBA calls for higher fee on mortgage assumptions; VA revises forms; FHA hosting webinar on quality assurance; Rural Housing Service updates program guidelines.

FHA needs reliable funding to continue its multi-year Catalyst information technology upgrade, Commissioner Julia Gordon said in a recent interview.

As the landscape shifts from refinances to purchase mortgages, the FHA program can be a volume generator, FHA Commissioner Julia Gordon told attendees at the annual Mortgage Bankers Association convention.

The Mortgage Bankers Association suggested FHA reinstate a mortgage lender’s option to document a borrower’s previous work history through a verbal verification of employment, among other recommendations.

Ted Tozer, former Ginnie Mae president, is calling for revisions to FHA policy that would encourage the adoption of assumable mortgages.

FHA is seeking comments through Dec. 5 on its request for information on barriers to small mortgage lending.

The House and Senate passed separate bills over the summer containing funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the next fiscal year.

New FHA loan applications and endorsements have been declining steadily since hitting peaks in late 2020, and cash-out refinances make up a growing share of the market.

Speaking at a Housing Finance Strategies event this week, FHA Commissioner Julia Gordon said she wants to improve the way the agency interacts with lenders and servicers.

The new policy only applies to FHA multifamily loans endorsed after the release of the Sept. 7 mortgagee letter.