FHA

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is facing a leadership crisis as top jobs go unfilled, leaving key decisions unresolved.

FHA loans made by millennial home buyers have been steadily decreasing the past four months, indicating they may be able to afford more at the moment.

Policymakers should differentiate between housing finance-related issues of real importance to the greater public interest, and those that concern only special interests.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Jerome Powell stopped short of endorsing any single housing finance reform plan, but called on lawmakers to resolve what he described as the biggest unfinished business of the crisis.

The Trump administration's Justice Department was expected to be less aggressive in its pursuit of False Claims Act cases against the mortgage industry. Instead, its focus has shifted to Federal Housing Administration-insured reverse mortgages.

The HUD secretary said millennials are being shut out of the market but the purchase of a condominium unit is often the first step to homeownership.

HUD secretary Carson tells lawmakers that the FHA's capital ratio is on an "upward trajectory," but he hasn't made a decision on another premium reduction.

The Federal Housing Administration's gateway to homeownership could be widened if the Trump administration takes actions to reduce mortgage insurance premiums and clarify lender penalties under the False Claims Act.

Lenders are objecting to the Trump administration's proposed $30 million fee designed to partially fund upgrades to the FHA.

The Trump administration will ask for more funds to improve the Federal Housing Administration's risk management systems as part of its budget expected to be released Tuesday, according to a leaked version.

The delinquency rate of Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgages fell to a historic low in the first quarter, fueling more calls for a reduction in the agency's annual premium.

Lawmakers from both political parties are increasingly interested in forcing lenders that offer loans to upgrade home heating and cooling systems to issue better disclosures, a prospect that has some in the industry nervous.

The Federal Housing Administration needs additional funds to replace a 1960s-era computer operating system and make other necessary tech updates.

Speaking at a town hall event in Washington, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said that post-crisis regulations have made mortgages too costly for consumers — and made homeownership unattainable for borrowers with low incomes or blemished credit histories.

President Trump's budget released Thursday calls for slashing the Department of Housing and Urban Development's funding by 13%, or $6.2 billion, compared with 2016 levels, a blow to many bankerswho say affordable housing programs and other HUD initiatives are vital to their work.

Rising interest rates have slowed a recent run of unexpectedly high prepayments of government-insured mortgages, making servicing rights for loans held in Ginnie Mae securities more attractive to investors.

Republican lawmakers are citing a recent report that delinquencies rose for loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration as a reason to delay a premium cut, but economists suggest the uptick is related to seasonal issues.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary-designate Ben Carson is open to finding alternatives to the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, but believes there must be some government backstop to the housing market.

HUD Secretary-designate Ben Carson is all but certain to get confirmed to his post—unless he makes a major mistake during his confirmation hearing.

The Federal Housing Administration said it would cut the annual premium by 25 basis points starting on Jan. 27, giving President-elect Donald Trump a limited window to delay or scrap the cut.