Members of the housing finance industry welcomed signs of continued discussion with Ginnie Mae and the Federal Housing Finance Agency as they prepare for the agencies’ aligned capital requirements.

Last month new home sales fell to their lowest level since January 2016. Trouble ahead, perhaps?

VA activity was hit the hardest, with lending volume off 14.7% sequentially in 2Q22...

FHA and VA forward endorsements continued to trend downward during the second quarter of 2022 despite an increase in purchase-mortgage business guaranteed by the two government agencies. (Includes three data charts.)

The new standards are a result of a collaboration between Ginnie and the Federal Housing Finance Agency to align rules for their counterparties. Most of the new standards take effect Sept. 30, 2023.

The most popular option is when another veteran assumes the VA loan and trades the benefit eligibility, said John Bell, executive director of VA’s Loan Guaranty Service.

The share of Ginnie Mae loans in forbearance remained flat at 1.26% in July compared to the previous month.

Housing counselors can play a greater role in helping delinquent borrowers understand the menu of loss-mitigation tools, according to trade group and government officials speaking at a recent HUD conference.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-MT, chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-SD, recently introduced the Native American Direct Loan Improvement Act to boost homeownership among Native Americans.

Housing-related funding was largely absent from the Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden signed into law this week.