Fannie said it will immediately begin accepting applications for fixed-rate 97% loan-to-value financing of borrowers with FICO scores as low as 620. Freddie, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach, delaying the start of the program, requiring credit counseling, and in some cases only allowing FICO scores as low as 660.

With some proposals still outstanding, mortgage bond market participants are concerned that eminent domain attempts would spread if a municipality makes inroads with a proposal.

Commonfund, an investment management firm in Wilton, Conn., has hired Catherine Keating as its chief executive.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have set terms for letting borrowers put down as little as 3% of a home's cost to get mortgages, a step criticized by Republican lawmakers as a return to risky lending.

Mortgage lending, particularly for bigger banks, cooled some in October as home buying season ended. Meanwhile, loan pricing deteriorated again, showing that lenders are still cutting rates to land the best credits.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a notice last week in the Federal Register proposing a boarding form to streamline how company information is collected.

Texas-based collection agency Dyck O’Neal reportedly has filed an estimated 240 deficiency judgment lawsuits in Palm Beach County, Fla. this year, hoping to collect the mortgage debt that remains after foreclosures are processed.

SmartFinancial in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., has agreed to merge with Cornerstone Bancshares in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Appointing a chief ethics officer can help banks maintain their integrity and foster public trust. Banks should also develop decision processes that explicitly address the question of whether they should do something, as opposed to whether they can.

Iberiabank Corp. in Lafayette, La., will enter the Atlanta market, agreeing to buy Georgia Commerce Bancshares.

The Federal Trade Commission has approved an order resolving allegations that Google Inc. unfairly billed consumers millions of dollars for in-app charges incurred by children without their parents’ consent.

ECMC Group's plans to acquire 56 campuses from Corinthian Colleges, a deal that would create the largest nonprofit career-college system in the U.S., has met criticism from lawmakers in a letter sent to the Department of Education.

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The Federal Housing Administration said no county in the nation will experience a decrease from this year's loan limits.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's support for the widow of a home equity conversion mortgage borrower has broad implications for consumers and lenders.

The end of the year is a busy time for closing bank acquisitions — at least buyers are hoping that is the case. With the average deal taking about 120 days to complete, there are plenty of banks anxiously awaiting a call from regulators.

Officials at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae all heaped praise on nonbank mortgage lenders for stepping up to provide loans for home purchases at a time when many banks have scaled back.

A civil rights group is asking senators to more closely examine Mickey Barnett's work on payday loan issues before they vote on his reappointment to the U.S. Postal Service board of governors.

As mobile commerce and other new technologies change the way people shop, fraudsters are changing their methods to adapt. Banks, fintech providers and consumers are all looking at security in new ways.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.