Mortgages

Reviving a long-dormant loan guarantee program could go a long way toward restocking the supply of starter homes and helping households of modest means create wealth.

On Dec. 31, 2020. Dollars in thousands.

Kerry Killinger, former CEO of Washington Mutual, says the asset bubbles and increased consumer debt that contributed to his company's failure are reappearing.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is dismissing claims that loose monetary policy has led to rising home values and shrinking inventory and insists that the market is buoyed by creditworthy borrowers and investors.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has moved ahead with an earlier proposal to postpone the full adoption of the qualified-mortgage ability-to-repay rule, citing a need to maximize borrowers' credit access.

It would be available to homeowners making 80% or less of their area’s median income who weren't eligible to tap into low rates last year.

The investment, tied to PNC's deal to acquire BBVA USA, was always going to be large but seemed to grow as CEO Bill Demchak got intimately involved in the discussions and the needs of communities and businesses hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic became more apparent.

The Dallas company will pay nearly $54 million for a 49% stake in a lender that operates in 10 states.

The end of the refinancing boom and impending rise in rates are not the only challenges lenders face. As one observer put it, they "can't make loans on homes that don't exist."

At first the deal seemed an unlikely marriage of two mortgage-heavy companies. But acquiring the Michigan company would help New York Community accomplish its two chief goals — reducing deposit costs and its concentration of multifamily loans — while giving it the scale to pursue more deals.