Mortgages

A lawsuit involving more than a dozen Wisconsin CUs has gained an additional element with a new suit alleging accounting malpractice.

The House is expected to pass a bill today to recapitalize the Federal Housing Administration by letting it raise annual premiums on borrowers.

Tighter underwriting guidelines unveiled Wednesday by the Federal Housing Administration will make it harder for lenders to qualify borrowers in a year when origination volumes are already expected to tank.

Housing and Urban Development officials repeatedly said Tuesday that the department's "review" of 15 lenders was not an investigation and that the companies may continue writing Federal Housing Administration loans.

The mortgage market could lose vital support from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac early next year if the Federal Reserve Board goes forward with plans to stop buying government-sponsored enterprise securities and debt.

WASHINGTON — Treasury Department officials acknowledged Tuesday that new data on loan modifications showed that many servicers are underperforming in trying to carry out the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention plan, but they appeared to have little leeway to force improvements.

WASHINGTON — A proposed national registry for loan originators and servicers would complicate already fledgling efforts to modify shaky mortgages.

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced further changes to their foreclosure prevention plan Thursday, but instead of focusing on lowering existing payments, the administration pushed for ways to help borrowers exit their home.

The idea that necessity is the mother of innovation may generally be more popular with Wall Street scions than state regulators, but in Massachusetts last week the tables turned.

WASHINGTON — Bankers received mixed news Thursday from Capitol Hill, as the House voted 357 to 70 to approve a sweeping credit card reform bill, while the Senate rejected a measure that would have let judges modify mortgages in bankruptcy.

WASHINGTON — The House Financial Services Committee passed a mortgage reform bill 49 to 21 on Wednesday, sending it to the full House for consideration next week.

WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leaders are trying to force a vote this week on a bill that would let bankruptcy judges modify mortgages — even though they do not appear to have enough support to pass it.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is expected to announce details this week on a supplement to its foreclosure prevention plan designed to address the problem of second mortgages, sources said.

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers at a House Financial Services Committee hearing Thursday appeared open to moderating mortgage reform legislation after complaints that it would reduce lending.

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers returning from Easter recess this week will tackle a host of reforms that could influence the future of banking, including stiffer mortgage laws, broader bankruptcy privileges and reining in "too big to fail" institutions.

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department and federal regulators released guidelines Wednesday on how banks should conduct loan modifications.

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are expected to release guidelines Wednesday that detail how lenders and servicers should conduct loan modifications — a critical step that will effectively kick off the Obama administration's $75 billion foreclosure prevention plan.

A House vote on mortgage bankruptcy reform was derailed Thursday after moderate Democrats won some last-minute leverage through Sen. Richard Durbin.

WASHINGTON — A key lawmaker is weighing a major concession to the financial services industry on legislation that would allow judges to rework mortgages in the bankruptcy process.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would take on a much larger role under the housing plan President Obama outlined Wednesday, pushing into the future any attempts to privatize or liquidate them, observers said.