VA loan-related provisions in the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 raise the maximum amount of entitlement available to veterans, the maximum guarantee of loans in excess of $144,000, a revised VA funding-fee table and a fee waiver for certain vets.

Buyout may be an option though an unnecessary one in addressing VA’s IRRRL problem, according to industry participants. An analyst suggests a recoupment issue can be cured by a cash payment to the borrower.

VA lending rose to a record $65.06 billion in the third quarter of 2019 as purchase and refinancing activity surged due to a decline in interest rates. (Includes two data charts.)

Lenders are hiring retail loan officers to handle the soaring demand for VA-guaranteed home loans led by lower interest rates.

Disabled veterans who were wrongly charged funding fees for their VA home loans will receive refunds totaling more than $400 million.

The Treasury has recommended Congress empower Ginnie Mae to provide “last position” guarantee on MBS backed by conventional home loans and au-thority to adjust its guarantee fee.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued guidance to mortgage servicers regarding the process of sending loss mitigation letters to borrowers who have fallen behind on their monthly payments. The guidance encourages servicers to work with distressed borrowers to avoid foreclosure.

The volume of broker-originated FHA and VA refinance loans pooled in new Ginnie MBS jumped 94.1% from the first to the second quarter. Correspondent production saw the smallest gains among the three channels.

Fueled by low rates, demand for FHA and VA refis was strong in the second quarter, although purchase loan originations for both programs hit the ceiling as well.