VA refinance activity more than doubled in the fourth quarter and FHA refi volume was up 55%. United Wholesale Mortgage was the top lender in both government loan programs. (Includes three data tables.)

Heads of government mortgage programs discussed current and future initiatives last week at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s servicing summit.

Enhancing exclusive listing periods of foreclosed properties for owner-occupants might have had an effect on increasing the supply of affordable homes for homebuyers despite caveats, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General.

A class-action lawsuit filed against Veterans United alleges that the lender collected fees from external agents in exchange for leads, and misrepresented itself as an affiliate of the VA.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General identified 64 potential fraud schemes FHA hadn’t accounted for in its single-family risk inventory.

Loans backed by FHA and the Department of Veterans Affairs have captured a larger share of the market in recent years, but the affordability crisis could hit government-insured borrowers harder.

Staffing levels at the Department of Housing and Urban Development fell in the third quarter last year, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

HUD, USDA rescind COVID eviction policies; USDA business delinquencies rise; FHA Neighborhood Watch errors; Ginnie revises termination grounds.

Gormley said Ginnie Mae is working with the Mortgage Bankers Association and the Housing Policy Council on the effort.

The government agency is working with industry trade groups on potential revisions to its issuer acknowledgment agreements.