Trade Groups Seek Congressional G-Fee Protection

National Mortgage Professional, Mar. 15, 2016–Hall, Phil
A coalition of 17 financial and housing trade associations has called on House and Senate leaders to include language in the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget to prevent efforts to use guarantee fees (g-fees) collected by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for non-housing purposes. The Mortgage Bankers Association is among the groups.

Rep. Hensarling Unveils Fresh Plan to Revamp Dodd-Frank

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 15, 2016–Borak, Donna
The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday previewed a Republican plan to revamp the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law, a proposal that would ease regulations for community banks and mandate a cost analysis of proposed policy changes.

Majority of House Calls for CFPB to Exempt Small Banks from Rules

National Mortgage News, Mar. 15, 2016–McKendry, Ian
Three-fourths of House lawmakers signed a bipartisan letter that calls on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to take more steps to carve out community banks and credit unions from onerous regulations.

Ginnie Mae Needs More Resources, Inspector General Says

National Mortgage News, Mar. 15, 2016–Collins, Brian
Ginnie Mae needs more and better paid staff to keep up with growing risks on nonbank seller/servicers, the watchdog agency head said.

JPMorgan Prepares Massive Mortgage Bond Deal

HousingWire, Mar. 15, 2016–Gaffney, Jacob
Wall street investment bank JP Morgan is putting together a massive residential mortgage-backed securities deal for the private market.

Weak U.S. Retail Sales Highlight Risks to Economic Outlook

Reuters, Mar. 15, 2016–Mutikani, Lucia
U.S. retail sales fell less than expected in February, but a sharp downward revision to January’s data could reignite concerns about the economy’s growth prospects.

Business Inventories to Sales Ratio at Postrecession High

MarketWatch, Mar. 15, 2016–Goldstein, Steve
The ratio of business inventories to sales reached a postrecession high in January, a troubling sign that companies aren’t able to sell what they’ve been producing.

FHA Provision Limits Bank Liability on Mortgage Errors

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 15, 2016–Light, Joe
The Federal Housing Administration on Tuesday unveiled a new certification that lenders must attest to when making an FHA-backed mortgage. Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, said the changes could “stop the bleeding” of lenders pulling back from the FHA program.