The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria, urged caution on a proposed “waterfall approach” to pooling practices used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security market, saying in its current form the proposal could have a “negative effect” on market liquidity, raise borrowing costs and reduce access to credit.
Category: News and Trends
MBA Statement on CFPB Letter to Congress on QM Standard
On Jan. 17, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger sent a letter to members of Congress, signaling proposed changes to the current Qualified Mortgage standard.
Black Knight ‘First Look:’ Strong Close to 2019 Pushes Mortgage Delinquency Rate to Near-Record Low
Black Knight, Jacksonville, Fla., said mortgage delinquencies fell by nearly 4% month-over-month to within 0.04% of the record low set this past May and more than 12% below from a year ago.
Homes For Sale at 7-Year Low
Zillow, Seattle, said for-sale homes in the U.S. fell to their lowest point in seven years in December, with no signs of improving any time soon.
John Vella of Altisource on URLA, Non-QM Lending and Improving the Borrower Experience
John Vella serves as Chief Revenue Officer of Altisource. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer of Equator LLC. He began his financial services career with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Freddie Mac and later served as Chief Sales Officer for H&R Block’s mortgage company.
MBA Advocacy Update
On Friday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger sent a letter to Congress outlining the Bureau’s plan for a revised Qualified Mortgage Standard.
Nancy Alley: eClosing Best Practices, Part II: Driving Adoption with Key Stakeholders
There’s more to adopting a digital mortgage strategy than simply using the necessary technologies and processes. Successful adoption also depends on getting clear and explicit buy-in from key stakeholders, such as borrowers, lender team members and settlement agents. By getting these crucial groups on board, lenders can then make the digital mortgage experience intuitive, consistent and repeatable.
People in the News
The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced J. Christopher “Chris” Giancarlo, former Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, will serve as independent, non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Common Securitization Solutions LLC and that CSS will amend the structure of its Board of Directors.
Residential Remodeling Outlook: Slight Gains in 2020
National spending for improvements and repairs on owner-occupied homes is expected to rise “only modestly” this year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Redfin: U.S. Home Prices Up 7% in December; RE/MAX: ‘Record’ Finish to 2019
Redfin, Seattle, said U.S. home-sale prices increased by 6.9% year over year in December to a median of $312,500. In a separate report, RE/MAX, Denver, said December posted a record finish to the year and decade