Mortgages

Bank regulators are considering a measure that would rewrite the rules implementing the Community Reinvestment Act. They should consider taking their existing rules seriously.

It came as a surprise to many housing experts that Asian, Black and Hispanic homeownership rates all jumped last year by more than 2 percentage points, according to quarterly Census Bureau data.

The acquisition, which was originally expected to close at the end of last year, ultimately took more than 18 months to receive regulatory approval. It is now expected to close on Dec. 1.

Delinquencies are on the rise for FHA-backed loans, with nearly 10% of low-credit borrowers in early payment default. Economists and policy experts say this could signal trouble ahead for other credit products.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has approved New York Community Bancorp's proposed acquisition of Flagstar Bancorp, the companies announced Friday. The banks are extending the deal deadline to Dec. 31 as they continue to seek the green light from the Federal Reserve.

The Fed's interest rate hikes are meant to tame inflation, but the secondary impacts on housing could give the central bank a reason to pump the brakes.

The agency expects one in five borrowers to be eligible for the new pricing benefits.

The mortgage market is reeling from the central bank's strategy of raising rates and reducing its holdings of mortgage-backed securities. Lenders face the worst headwinds in more than a decade.

Credit Suisse Group agreed to pay $495 million to settle the largest remaining case related to its role in selling residential mortgage-backed securities in the U.S. that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis.

Loan officers say that the platform discourages them from originating loans.

The settlement with an insurer over Countrywide's mortgage-backed securities closes another chapter on what quickly proved to be an ill-advised acquisition for Bank of America. A trial on the case had kicked off last month.

The credit scoring firm takes issue with an article questioning changes to its scoring model.

After resolving a longstanding consent order from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a shareholder lawsuit, Sterling Bank's CEO — an experienced turnaround artist — says the bank is largely done fixing the fallout from its fraud-ridden Advantage Loan program.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency got an earful from housing experts at a listening session intended to aid a comprehensive review of the financing system.

Investors are looking past the current boom in loan activity, fearing that inflation and other factors will cool demand and make it harder for borrowers to make payments.

Western Alliance, in its first appearance on the list of leading banks with more than $50 billion of assets, landed at No. 1. The Phoenix company and the other top performers in this class have either created niche businesses, made acquisitions or done both.

Investor activity in the housing market has had a nominal impact on the cost of housing, the head of the National Rental Home Council writes, citing research by one of the government-sponsored enterprises. Supply-demand imbalance is the primary driver of price appreciation, he argues.