Mortgages

The guarantor of mortgage-backed securities has been without a Senate-confirmed president for four and a half years. The vacancy makes it difficult for other government agencies to coordinate housing objectives, according to stakeholders.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development and Federal Housing Finance Agency, which supervises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, formed a pact to share information and coordinate investigations of potential fair-lending violations.

The agency developed measures taking effect Aug. 31 that, among other things, will allow lenders to prioritize foreclosures of the most impaired loans and then focus on modifying salvageable ones.

The expanded credit access in its automated mortgage decisioning goes into effect in mid September.

Small increases in commercial real estate loan volumes, particularly at midsize banks, may be indicators that the sector has weathered the worst of the pandemic. Construction loan originations, which tend to fall sharply during a recession, are leading the way.

Despite clear evidence to the contrary, the mortgage insurer continues to insist that credit unions have the same risk profile as nonbank lenders. It’s now threatening to exclude nearly a quarter of credit unions from being qualified issuers of the securities it backs.

Steven Schnall, the New York community development financial institution's founder and CEO, discusses its plans to let customers buy and sell bitcoin through their bank accounts, use a ring to make debit card purchases and have a better shot at a home loan.

Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee objected to Biden administration picks for key jobs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development based on their past criticism of police practices. The nominees, including the prospective Federal Housing Administration chief, said their statements were taken out of context.

Many banks reported sharp declines in income from home loans during the second quarter. The large gains they enjoyed last year thanks to a surge in refinancing activity are unlikely to return, according to bankers and analysts.

The industry had tightened up last year in the face of COVID-19. But as the economic outlook improves, banks are now easing criteria amid heightened competition, according to the Federal Reserve’s survey of loan officers.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

On Mar. 31, 2021. Dollars in thousands.

A hike in guarantee fees charged to lenders for the companies’ backing of loans was due to expire this year, but lawmakers now want to extend it to raise $21 billion for the bipartisan package.

States have the option of adopting the oversight framework issued by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, which resembles capital and liquidity plan proposed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The very smallest banks, whose numbers shrank during the financial crisis, were most likely to express concern that the housing market will imperil the broader economy.

While federal regulators attempt to overhaul the Community Reinvestment Act for banks, Congress has shown little interest in applying it to other lenders. But recent moves in Illinois and New York have given some stakeholders hope that state lawmakers will pick up the slack.

The guarantor has for the first time proposed a risk-based capital requirement for companies not subject to other federal regulation. The industry says the plan, which would impose a heavy charge for servicing portfolios, could drive lenders away from government-backed programs.

The plan aims to cut monthly payments by roughly 25% for homeowners in government-backed mortgages who are negatively impacted by the pandemic.

The best performers in our annual ranking of banks with $10 billion to $50 billion of assets benefited from a big lending push. But like their peers, the top 10 as a group saw their profitability slip last year compared with 2019.

The Rhode Island bank endured a sharp decline in fee income from home loans, which had spiked earlier in the pandemic. But CEO Bruce Van Saun says the company is well positioned as the refinancing boom fades and the home purchase market becomes more important.