Bloomberg, Sept. 21, 2017–Claire BostonMany fund managers are fearful about the Federal Reserve shedding its massive $1.78 trillion mortgage bond portfolio, a step it plans to start next month. Some investors say it’s time to get greedy. Some mortgage bond fund managers known as real estate investment trusts have been raising cash at their fastest pace since 2013, giving them enough new capacity to buy more than $30 billion of the securities.
Category: Top National News
Lawmakers to Grill Equifax, Wells CEOs in Busy Week of Hearings
National Mortgage News, Sept. 21, 2017–Ian McKendry (subscription)Equifax CEO Richard Smith and Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan are scheduled to testify on major operational breakdowns at both companies before Senate lawmakers during the first week of October.
Home Prices in Midwestern States Drop in July
HousingWire, Sept. 21, 2017–Kelsey RamirezAcross the nation, home prices increased in July, however on region in the Midwest a decrease from the month before, according to the latest House Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
Fed Says Total U.S. Household Net Worth Rose in Second Quarter
Wall Street Journal Sept. 21, 2017–Eric Morath (subscription)The total net worth of U.S. households pushed further into record territory, climbing by $1.7 trillion in the second quarter, to $96.2 trillion, the Federal Reserve said.
Refis to Pull Down Mortgage Originations in 2018
Mortgage Daily, Sept. 21, 2017National mortgage production from all U.S. home lenders is then projected to fall to $413 billion during the final-three months of this year. That is according to the September 2017 Economic & Housing Market Forecast from Freddie Mac.
Mortgage Rates Rise, VA Rates Lowest
Mortgage Daily, Sept. 21, 2017–Sam GarciaAfter nearly two months without an increase, mortgage rates moved higher this past week. Rates on home loans for veterans remain the lowest, said Ellie Mae.
Mortgage and Banking Groups Express Concern Over Efforts to Derail an Overhaul of Fannnie Mae, Freddie Mac
The Hill, Sept. 21, 2017–Vicki Needham (MBA mention)The groups on Thursday wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Mel Watt, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, calling on them to help usher through bipartisan legislation in Congress to reform the housing finance system and end government control of the two entities.
GOP Undeterred on Arbitration Rule Repeal Despite Wells, Equifax
National Mortgage News, Sept. 21, 2017–Ian McKendry (subscription)Democrats have striven to paint recent scandals at Wells Fargo and Equifax as prime examples of why a regulatory rule banning mandatory arbitration agreements should be upheld, but Republicans are not wavering on their desire to overturn it.
Second FHA Tour Would Be Much Different for Montgomery
National Mortgage News, Sept. 21, 2017–Brian Collins (subscription)Nominated last week as FHA commissioner, Brian Montgomery would lead an agency with a much better delinquency rate, but face new challenges.
Leading Economic Indicators Increase 0.4 Percent, More than 0.2 Percent Expected
CNBC, Sept. 21, 2017–Michael SheetzLeading indicators increased 0.4 percent in August, greater than the 0.2 percent increase economists polled by Reuters anticipated. This is up from a gain of 0.3 percent in the prior month, according to the Conference Board.