Mortgages

WASHINGTON — Frustrated by the slow pace of loan modifications, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said Wednesday that he is considering overhauling the servicing system to speed up the process.

WASHINGTON — The rapidly evolving financial crisis has made Bush administration officials and banking regulators participants in an almost regular weekend routine of hastily scheduled meetings and press briefings to discuss the latest moves to shore up the sector.

WASHINGTON — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may soon have to speed up and improve efforts to facilitate loan modifications for troubled borrowers, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — The government's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac raised critical questions about how it came together, why it was necessary, and what effect it will have on the financial services market.

WASHINGTON — The presidential contest has always carried large implications for the financial services industry, but Sunday's government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac makes the race even more crucial.

The government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has raised as many questions as it has answered in lenders' minds about what it will be like to do business with the government-sponsored enterprises in the months ahead.

WASHINGTON — A year after lenders, servicers, and credit counselors came together at the behest of the Treasury Department to speed up loan modifications, there are ongoing doubts about how well the process works.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. unveiled plans Wednesday to modify tens of thousands of loans at IndyMac Federal Bank in hopes of boosting the failed thrift's sale value and spurring more modifications across the industry.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will announce details Wednesday of loan modification plans for borrowers of failed IndyMac Bancorp, the agency said late Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s takeover of IndyMac Bancorp Inc. is giving the agency the chance to practice what it has preached on loan modifications.

WASHINGTON — New laws and regulations designed to reform the mortgage brokerage industry missed at least two key problems, according to industry observers.

A provision tucked in the housing rescue law lets banks invest in public welfare projects without regard to a community's income levels, removing a limit set by a 2006 law.

WASHINGTON — The pressure on servicers and lenders to voluntarily cease foreclosures continues to build and shows no sign of slackening.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Housing Finance Agency — the new regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan banks — began life Wednesday with a substantial to-do list.

WASHINGTON — The emergency backstop provided to the government-sponsored enterprises has put the top executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the line of fire.

Nehemiah Corp. of America went to novel lengths Thursday to rally opposition to a provision in the housing bill that would put it and other providers of seller-funded down payment assistance out of business.

With the share of mortgage originations insured by the Federal Housing Administration tripling in the past year, some observers are questioning whether it can handle the additional risk it is taking on.

Despite assurances to the contrary, a growing group of skeptics said Wednesday that they expect the Treasury Department to use the unprecedented power Congress is poised to give it over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

WASHINGTON — A compromise housing bill emerged late Tuesday that finally appears to bridge the gap between House and Senate banking leaders.

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday continued to send mixed signals about its support for a housing package due for a vote this week, reiterating a veto threat against the legislation despite the inclusion of changes sought by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.