Mortgages

The Trump administration's plan to end the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac marked its first effort to solve a problem left over from the financial crisis, but ultimately raised more questions than it answered.

Instead of shrinking the GSEs, the housing regulator is letting them expand into a host of new products and programs.

From medical expenses to home improvements, here's a look at some of the most frequently cited reasons homeowners are borrowing against their home equity.

Ocwen Financial is able to keep the answers to questions from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau involving the improper handling of escrow accounts confidential, a federal magistrate ruled.

An appeals court has rejected claims by a Washington state housing finance agency that the National Homebuyers Fund is limited to operating in California.

Meet the new housing finance reform plan, same as the old ones. While that gives it legs, it also presents big challenges.

The plan would end the GSE conservatorships and create an explicit federal guarantee, but it's unclear if even other parts of the Trump administration support it.

Some continue to doubt there will be a premium cut, while others say there's no telling which way Brian Montgomery will go.

Paycheck information gleaned from bank accounts is emerging as an alternative to verifying a mortgage applicant's income and employment with a 4506-T tax transcript request to the IRS.

Ruoff Financial will make its first push into banking with the purchase of SBB Bancshares.

The groups applauded a proposal to establish minimum GSE capital requirements, but called for more immediate steps to release the companies from conservatorship.

Risk management and technology systems at the Federal Housing Administration lag decades behind Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and desperately need to be revamped, according to a top official at HUD.

The bill aimed at helping struggling homeowners also requires documentation of servicer behavior and FHFA evaluation of the services provided to borrowers.

No plan will be implemented as long as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac remain in conservatorship, but a capital framework for the companies could still have a substantive impact.

Competition for deposits is heating up as summer approaches, and banks are responding in all sorts of ways — from launching digital-only platforms to raising CD rates to reviving debit rewards. But rising interest rates could weaken demand for loans, especially mortgages.

The Seattle company is firing 127 people, or a tenth of its mortgage staff, after enduring months of slow activity.

The agency proposed new minimum capital requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would only go into effect if the government ends its conservatorships.

On Mar. 31, 2018. Dollars in thousands.

On Mar. 31, 2018. Dollars in thousands.

Robert Broeksmit has a tough act to follow succeeding David Stevens, the CEO revered for navigating the Mortgage Bankers Association through one of its most tumultuous eras on record. But in doing so, Broeksmit has a distinct advantage over many of his predecessors: inheriting an organization on the upswing.