USDA

Seasonal Slowdown Hits Ginnie Issuance in First Quarter

ewilley@imfpubs.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:15:36 -0400

Ginnie Mae MBS issuance declined 10.7% in the first quarter of 2026 due to a seasonal slowdown in purchase lending. Refinance activity held steady, helped by FHA business. (Includes four data tables.)

USDA to Pilot Delegated Underwriting Authority

ewilley@imfpubs.com — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:41:38 -0400

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service will allow some lenders to begin trialing long-awaited delegated underwriting authority.

Refis Push Ginnie Issuance Up in November

ewilley@imfpubs.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 14:40:35 -0500

November issuance of Ginnie Mae single-family mortgage-backed securities increased as lower interest rates continued to drive refinance activity. (Includes two data tables.)

USDA Eyes Guaranteed SFH Loan Subsidies

ewilley@imfpubs.com — Fri, 30 May 2025 12:48:08 -0400

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service is considering subsidizing a portion of its guaranteed home loans.

USDA Direct SFH Loan Program on Chopping Block

ewilley@imfpubs.com — Fri, 16 May 2025 12:02:13 -0400

The Trump administration’s 2026 discretionary budget would eliminate the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s single-family home direct loan program, a small program that saw record interest in 2024.

Around the Industry

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:33:14 -0500

FHA extends foreclosure moratorium tied to LA wildfires; HUD rescinds Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule; CSBS seeks Ginnie servicing reforms; RHS delays servicing changes; Rate offers complimentary, temporary insurance for first responders; bill in Senate would speed mortgage processing at Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Confusion Following Trump’s Attempted Funding Pause

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:55:26 -0500

The pause was ultimately rescinded following court injunctions. In the meantime, participants in government-insured mortgage programs faced uncertainty.

Around the Industry

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:49:37 -0500

VA sets return-to-office requirements for employees; Indecomm adds FHA underwriting; RHS interest rates increase; number of downpayment assistance programs grows.

Lawmakers Buy Some Time to Fund HUD, Government

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 13:08:31 -0500

Congressional lawmakers next week are expected to take up legislation meant to finalize fiscal 2024 funding bills before the latest continuing resolutions lapse.

RHS Guarantees $1.26B in SFH Loans in Fourth Quarter

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:08:04 -0500

Loans to communities ranked with a high social vulnerability index made up roughly 22% of Rural Housing Service-guaranteed single-family home loans in the fourth quarter of 2023. (Includes data table.)

FHA/VA Sectors Gain Market Share in Third Quarter

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 15:59:48 -0500

Endorsements of FHA and VA insured loans increased by 9.2% in the third quarter while total first-lien originations declined. (Includes three data tables.)

Veterans United Tops Correspondent Sellers in 2022

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 05 May 2023 15:56:03 -0400

Correspondent sales of government-insured loans declined by 28.6% on an annual basis in 2022, though Veterans United boosted its sales by 13.8%. (Includes data chart.)

USDA Needs More Resources to Improve Staffing, Tech

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 12:32:47 -0400

The USDA needs an influx of resources to boost staffing and improve information technology to meet the needs of its home loan programs.

Government Leaders Vow Continued Collaboration

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 13:56:14 -0500

Federal housing agencies will continue to collaborate on loss-mitigation options following their teamwork when responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around the Industry

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:44:45 -0500

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.

Federal Housing Agencies Discuss Marketing Challenges

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:58:13 -0400

Officials from FHA, VA and USDA’s Rural Housing Service recently discussed how to help borrowers through the challenges of today’s volatile housing market.

USDA RHS Honors Top Single-Family Lenders

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:52:11 -0400

Fairway Independent Mortgage, Movement Mortgage and Caliber Home Mortgage were the top three lenders in USDA’s Rural Housing Service single-family housing guaranteed loan program.

Government Housing Agencies Eye Tech Modernization

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 27 May 2022 13:50:27 -0400

The government home loan programs from FHA, VA and USDA still have work to do in their efforts to upgrade mortgage technology.

RHS Working to Address Affordable Housing

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 27 May 2022 13:44:30 -0400

USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small testified this week about the shortages of affordable multifamily rental units and single-family homes for sale in rural areas.

FHA/VA Servicers Urged to Pause HAF-Related Foreclosures

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 13 May 2022 13:10:00 -0400

The government housing agencies have updated their frequently-asked-questions pages to assist servicers handling borrowers whose applications for relief under the Homeowner Assistance Fund are pending.

House Committee Marks Up Infrastructure Bill

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:14:00 -0400

The House Committee on Financial Services last week marked up legislation that would devote $322 billion in funding to affordable housing, including for a pilot program to expand small-dollar lending options for homes that cost up to $100,000.

Proposed RHS Updates Draw Muted Industry Feedback

mhogan@imfpubs.com — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 14:05:00 -0400

Industry backs a change that would eliminate requirements that lenders conduct background checks on builder-contractors working with borrowers in the RHS Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program.

Sellers Treat FHA Borrowers Less Favorably, Survey Finds

news@imfpubs.com — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:15:57 -0400

Survey respondents said only 13% of sellers would “definitely” be likely to accept an offer from a buyer using an FHA or VA loan, compared to 66% for conventional loans.

USDA Allows Refinancing of Loans Post-Moratorium

news@imfpubs.com — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 17:13:00 -0400

The temporary measure allows borrowers to refinance Section 502 and 504 loans if they were, or are, in a COVID-19 forbearance moratorium.

How Does COVID Hold Up to the Great Recession?

news@imfpubs.com — Fri, 21 May 2021 02:34:00 -0400

In what may be an apples-to-orange comparison, it looks like the homeowners impacted by the COVID crisis were better off than those impacted during the Great Recession.

USDA Seeks Industry Comment on AUS

news@imfpubs.com — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 15:20:00 -0500

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to make it mandatory for lenders to use its guaranteed underwriting/loan closing system for all single-family loans.

Wells Fargo Makes Big Bet on Ginnie EBOs. Others?

pmuolo@imfpubs.com — Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:15:00 -0400

Thanks to high forbearance readings and escalating delinquencies, Wells Fargo is once again playing the Ginnie buyout game. It’s not alone.

USDA's Guaranteed Home Loan Volume Up Sharply in 2020

news@imfpubs.com — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 10:15:00 -0400

Between October 2019 and July of this year, USDA issued 107,283 guarantees totaling $17.8 billion. Another month remains in the agency's fiscal year.

Industry Urges FHA to Ease Rules for Borrowers with Student Loans

news@imfpubs.com — Fri, 21 Aug 2020 16:08:00 -0400

The current method for calculating monthly student-loan payments results in artificially inflated debt-to-income ratios.

Ginnie Mae Loans in Pandemic-Related Forbearance Increase

news@imfpubs.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 14:20:00 -0400

At the end of June, 14.07% of FHA loans in Ginnie Mae pools were delinquent, nearly double from 7.57% in March.