Mortgages

The sharpest run-up in rates seen in over three decades slashed mortgage origination volumes, and contributed to a volatile market environment, but had some cyclical benefits for servicing.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said it would heed the recommendation from a report by its Office of the Inspector General released this week.

The final rule also orders the government-sponsored enterprises to give advance notice of new activities to determine if they are subject to these procedures.

The bill will require the agency to codify the use of desktop appraisals.

Though housing is experiencing severe rate-related stress, mortgage banking remains central to the Denver-based bank's business model. The Texas market has held up better than much of the rest of the country, company executives say.

In a sprawling consent order, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau order cited mismanagement that extended from auto loans to mortgages and deposit accounts. Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf called the agreement a critical milestone to "put these issues behind us."

The FHFA should focus on the facts as it ponders the future of the Federal Home Loan Bank System.

The credit reporting firm said credit card and personal-loan delinquencies are likely to rise in 2023 to the highest in a dozen years, with lenders cutting back on originations as a potential recession looms.

Canada's banking regulator said the country's mortgage stress test has helped prevent widespread defaults as interest rates rose this year, rebuffing calls to weaken or eliminate the measure amid a surge in homebuying costs.

Lenders that offer streamlined refinances in the future shouldn't be required to consider the borrower's income or employment status, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The trade group's comments were part of its response to a request for information on mortgage products that would support the financial stability of households.

The homeownership gap between Black and white populations has widened in the years since the Great Recession, putting obstacles in the way of achieving wealth for a large percentage of Americans. How did we get here, and what do the housing and home lending industries need to do to change the current course?

The increased limit on the size of the mortgages the government-sponsored enterprises will be able to buy reflects the year-over-year change in home prices.

However, a tiered pricing system will limit an inflation-driven increase to under 10% for a small group of originators.

If a $6.3 billion subsidy only generates a $304 million return in terms of housing and community development support, is that money well spent?