Mortgages

As policymakers take another crack at housing finance reform, federal leaders and the housing lobby are once again perpetuating the false notion that ending government guarantees would cause the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage to vanish.

The House Financial Services Committee chairman's effort to make changes to a Dodd-Frank revision bill could either give him a defining victory or extend his losing streak.

On Dec. 31, 2017. Dollars in thousands.

On Dec. 31, 2017. Dollars in thousands.

Nonbanks are originating more commercial mortgages on fixer-uppers in response to a sharp drop in the cost of funding in the securitization market. These deals are said to be "vastly different" than other CRE instruments that sustained big losses in the crisis — so far.

Wells Fargo gets tipped off by OCC on investigation; HSBC is wading back into U.S. mortgage waters; a bank uses artificial intelligence to combat money laundering; and more.

BankFirst Financial Services in Columbus, Miss., has acquired HomeFirst, a mortgage services firm.

The company's deal for Coastway Bancorp in Rhode Island makes sense since both institutions are former credit unions.

Freddie Mac and Arch Capital are testing a new form of risk-sharing deal to boost investor appetite for low down payment mortgages. But the pilot is raising concerns about "charter creep" because it dictates private mortgage insurance decisions typically made by lenders.

President Trump is expected to announce as early as Thursday morning that he has selected Larry Kudlow, the host of CNBC's "The Kudlow Report," to replace Gary Cohn as head of the National Economic Council, according to multiple media reports.

As Congress moves quickly toward passing regulatory relief legislation, another financial services policy goal — long-term reform of the National Flood Insurance Program — remains stalled.

A clear government backstop for the mortgage market would benefit small banks and investors by ensuring a stable and liquid secondary market for securities.

The country’s ratio of household debt to disposable income reached a record 171% in 2017.

Despite past missteps in the U.S. mortgage business, the bank is giving it another go, bringing servicing in-house and catering to millennials and international clients here, says HSBC’s Raman Muralidharan.

On Dec. 31, 2017. Dollars in thousands.

Federal Reserve warns that nonbank lenders pose risks to the financial system; Swift says the technology needs more work.

Tight margins, regulatory clarity and a renewed appetite to expand have made mortgage brokers and the wholesale channel attractive again, at least to the small and medium mortgage lenders.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule on Thursday that gives mortgage servicers more latitude in sending periodic statements to borrowers in bankruptcy.

A Senate proposal calling for a federal guarantee on mortgage-backed securities would only benefit the largest banks and increase the risk of bailouts.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group has agreed to pay $500 million to the state of New York after a $5.5B agreement last year with the FHA, and another probe is pending.