Mortgage default rates for FHA and VA loans followed seasonal trends and shifted significantly lower in the first quarter of 2017, according to a new analysis and servicer ranking by Inside FHA/VA Lending. While both portfolios showed strong growth in the dollar volume of loans outstanding in Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities, there were also huge declines in the number of loans past due. Some $1.036 trillion of FHA forward mortgages were in Ginnie pools at the end of March, up 1.1 percent from the previous quarter. But delinquency rates for the less-severe categories of late payment were down sharply. The number of FHA loans 30-60 days past due, for example, declined by 28.4 percent, lowering the delinquency rate by 1.51 percentage points, leaving it just about where it was a year ago. The same thing happened in the VA sector. Total VA supply grew 3.2 percent to ... [Charts]
Read More
The VA Home Loan Guaranty Service is revisiting agency rules on allowable fees and charges veterans pay to obtain a VA loan for possible changes. VA is seeking comments on a proposed rule that would ease current restrictions to put borrowers in a better position to bargain during negotiations for a home purchase. While the current rule continues to protect veterans from incurring unreasonable closing costs as originally intended, some veterans and their representatives have complained that the restrictions weaken their ability to negotiate with sellers and lenders. Compared with a conventional purchase-loan transaction, sellers and lenders find it more difficult to deal with a borrower with a VA loan because they end up bearing many of the customary fees and charges, the VA explained. “The restrictions on fees and charges puts borrowers at a bargaining disadvantage against ...
Read More
The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued guidance regarding documentation of allowable fees and charges under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Truth in Lending Act-Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Integrated Disclosure Closing Disclosure, or TRID-CD form. Under the guidance, VA lenders must document all allowable fees and charges assessed against the borrower as well as any lender and seller credits on the TRID-CD. VA now requires documentation because it no longer accepts a separate, itemized list of credits and charges, as previously allowed with the HUD-1 form. In completing the closing-cost section of the TRID-CD, fees charged to the veteran must be listed in the “Borrower Paid” column. Lender credits should be listed in the “Paid by Others” column, the agency said. Closing costs that are paid for by either the seller or the lender must be placed in either the ...
Read More
The most common motivation for borrowers (and nonborrowers) in opting for a reverse mortgage was “to gain extra income for everyday expenses” and “paying off mortgage debt,” according to an Ohio State University study on reverse mortgage motivations and outcomes. Published in the latest issue of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, the study said both motivations reflect previous findings that reverse mortgage borrowers are likely to be “house rich” and cash poor.” The study used survey information collected as part of the Aging in Place (AIP) study, which looked at borrower motivations for seeking a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage as well as reasons for not getting one. The primary data set consisted of 1,761 senior households that received counseling for a HECM loan between 2006 and 2011 and responded to the ...
Read More
The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued new guidelines and instructions for modifying VA-guaranteed mortgages in lieu of previous guidance regarding the agency’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). VA has a long-standing policy of encouraging servicers to work with borrowers to explore all reasonable options to help them keep their home or reduce losses through loss mitigation. The agency requires lenders to consider VA-guaranteed loans for a VA Affordable modification (VAAM) when traditional home-retention options are not feasible. A VAAM allows a new monthly, fixed-rate mortgage payment no greater than 31 percent of the borrower’s monthly gross income. It can cover principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and condominium or homeowner association fees The rate must not exceed the most recent Freddie Mac benchmark rate for ...
Read More
As of press time, Congress passed a one-week stopgap spending measure to keep the government open through May 5, averting a looming government shutdown. The House passed H.J. Res. 99 by a vote of 373 to 30. The continuing resolution has been sent to President Trump. The continuing resolution provides lawmakers sufficient time to negotiate an omnibus spending bill. The previous spending bill was scheduled to expire at midnight, April 28, which would have resulted in a government shutdown similar to the one that paralyzed the federal government in 2013. A shutdown can cause grief for sellers and homebuyers and severely delay processing of mortgage loans if lenders cannot verify a borrower’s tax data or Social Security number. This time, however, the FHA and VA are prepared for such an eventuality, said industry observers. A 16-day government shutdown in October 2013 sent millions of ...
Read More
Millions of disabled post-9/11 veterans may qualify for a VA-guaranteed home mortgage but the majority are not taking advantage of the program, according to a new report from American Financing. The VA loan is great for injured veterans exiting the military but many are either unaware or uninformed, said Greg Vogel, manager of American Financing in Aurora, CO. Active-duty servicemembers and retired military are entitled to VA housing benefits, including an agency guarantee on their mortgage in lieu of mortgage insurance and no downpayment. A first-time VA borrower pays a 2.15 percent funding fee. Borrowers with a service-connected disability are exempt from paying the fee. “You would expect many of our injured warriors would take advantage of this great loan but that’s not what the numbers indicate,” said Vogel, who left the Army as a disabled vet Tim Byers, a mortgage analyst at ...
Read More
President Trump Friday morning signaled his intent to nominate former regulator Pamela Patenaude to be the next deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to a bio listed on the White House website, Patenaude is president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families. She also served as HUD assistant secretary for community, planning and development during the George W. Bush administration. Patenaude’ s nomination had been expected for some time. She is expected to play a key role in shaping housing policy in the new administration and brings to the table a depth of knowledge about the industry. HUD Secretary Ben Carson was a career brain surgeon with little in the way of housing and mortgage experience. Meanwhile, industry lobbyists contend the White House continues to vet candidates for two other ...
Read More
EAD Portal Suspended for System Maintenance. The Electronic Appraisal Delivery (EAD) portal used by FHA lenders to submit appraisals to the agency will be on hiatus for much-needed maintenance work and a major upgrade beginning at 10 p.m., May 5, until 2 a.m., May 8, 2017. No appraisal submissions will be accepted via the EAD portal or EAD direct integration because both systems will be unable to make a connection, said the Department of Housing and Urban Development. FHA Credit Underwriter Training. The HUD Atlanta Homeownership Center is hosting on-site training on FHA credit underwriting at the agency’s San Juan Field Office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., EST. The training is free. It will provide an overview of FHA underwriting procedures and address several industry-related frequently asked questions. The training also will look at ...
Read More