Housing markets

The agency is sending a strong message that it won’t rush to end an exemption for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while also signaling longer-term changes that will affect all lenders.

The FHFA’s attempt to move some of its balance sheet into the private sector could leave investors with greater liabilities than they were initially told.

HELOCs and second mortgages at credit unions are on the decline amid increasing refis and shifts in consumer sentiment about borrowing against their home’s value.

John Williams said Friday that the Federal Reserve's three interest rate cuts this year have bolstered the housing market and consumer spending.

Loan limits for most mortgages Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy will exceed $500,000 for the first time ever next year, and the maximum for most high-cost areas will be $765,000.

The housing market has changed dramatically since 2002 but the current appraisal limit has not. It's time for NCUA to catch up.

There's been chatter that investors are shying away from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities because Congress may not enact housing finance reform. Be skeptical of those claims.

Tom Marano, a former Bear Stearns banker, was apparently well compensated following the housing crisis for heading up ResCap and Ditech, both of which went into bankruptcy.

NCUA financial metrics don't illustrate the way these institutions have changed consumers' lives for the better.

Issuance of securities backed by the ostensible Libor replacement hit by money market turmoil; Jho Low will surrender luxury assets.

Credit unions have achieved success in areas like auto and consumer loans but there is still room for them to increase their home lending.

As lawmakers tackle Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, any revamp must lessen risk to the mortgage system and U.S. taxpayers.

Home prices have more than recovered since the recession, but higher-than-ever medical and student debt is robbing many homeowners from realizing the benefits, while keeping others away from the market, according to Zillow.

The three federal banking agencies moved to raise the threshold for residential transactions that require an appraisal from $250,000 to $400,000.

Readers sound off on climate change, the Federal Reserve's incoming real-time payments system, efforts for gender pay equity and more.

Industry groups are calling on the consumer bureau to eliminate the debt-to-income limit for “qualified mortgages” and provide a short-term extension of special treatment for Fannie- and Freddie-backed loans.

Hispanics will make up more than half of new homeowners by 2030, and credit unions need to actively market to this demographic, according to a panel discussion at Inclusiv's annual conference.

With the ongoing issue of the affordable housing crisis, the Mortgage Bankers Association – which many credit unions are members of – got behind the Build More Housing Near Transit Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said at an investor conference that the Trump administration's plan for Fannie and Freddie would provide more opportunities for financial institutions. He also called for an end to the U.S.-China trade war and weighed in on the prospect of interest rates falling to zero.

The industry has taken some steps to lower barriers to affordable housing, but some observers say that more can be done.