Marketwatch, Nov. 3, 2015–Goldstein, Steve Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at risk of needing an injection of Treasury capital after the latter reported its first quarterly loss in four years, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Tuesday.
Category: Top National News
Wharf Street Acquires Majority Stake in Kroll Bond Rating Agency
HousingWire, Nov. 3, 2015–Lane, Ben
Kroll Bond Rating Agency now has a new majority owner, as the credit ratings agency announced Tuesday that one of its minority investors, private-equity firm Wharf Street, acquired a majority stake in the firm.
Still Reeling From New Disclosure Rule, Lenders Fear HMDA Reporting
National Mortgage News, Nov. 3, 2015–Witkowski, Rachel
Though the deadline for compliance is more than two years away, lenders are already warning that they do not have enough time to comply with a new rule that requires institutions to report additional data to regulators on home loans.
Gross Says Fed Should ‘Switch’, Not ‘Twist,’ to Revive Economy
Bloomberg, Nov. 3, 2015–Gittelsohn, John
Bill Gross, of Denver-based Janus Capital Group, says the Federal Reserve should sell longer-term Treasuries and buy shorter-term notes to remedy the economy.
Freddie Mac Won’t Need Treasury Aid After Third-Quarter Loss
Bloomberg, Nov. 3, 2015–Hopkins, Cheyenne
Freddie Mac won’t seek additional funds from the Treasury Department and won’t need to make a dividend payment to the government after reporting a half-billion dollar third-quarter loss stemming mostly from accounting for hedges against interest-rate risk.
Investors Most Relaxed in Two Years over Fed Lift-Off: Survey
Reuters, Nov. 3, 2015–McGeever, Jamie
The risks to financial markets posed by a rise in U.S. interest rates are at their lowest point in two years, according to a survey of investors published on Tuesday, with slowing growth in China by far the greater concern.
U.S. Factory Orders Fall, Inventory Liquidation Under Way
Reuters, Nov. 3, 2015–Mutikani, Lucia
New orders for U.S. factory goods fell for a second straight month in September as the manufacturing sector continues to struggle under the weight of a strong dollar and deep spending cuts by energy companies.
Are Servicers Finally Off the CFPB’s Hit List?
HousingWire, Nov. 3, 2015–Swanson, Brena
A quick perusal of the new supervisory report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau might finally be a sign that servicers are no longer at the top of the bureau’s hit list.
Mortgage Company Sues Owners of 400 Georgetown Homes over Titles
Austin American-Statesman, Nov. 3, 2015–Osborn, Claire
Owners of 400 homes in a Williamson County, Texas neighborhood got a shock recently after receiving a federal lawsuit that said the land they had bought as far back as the 1990s really wasn’t theirs.
Why Legacy Mortgages Still Boost Foreclosure Totals
OurBroker.com, Nov. 2, 2015–Miller, Peter G.
Marina Walsh, the Vice President of Industry Analysis with the Mortgage Bankers Association, said that “legacy loans continued to account for the majority of all troubled mortgages.