MBA Newslinks Archive

“Where it was once was decades for things to change, the electronic age allows change in days. Historically, fraud and misrepresentations were slow to evolve; today, they happen in a flash.”–Patti Duranty-Robbins, associate vice president and strategy and planning specialist with the enterprise fraud group at PNC Bank, Downers Grove, Ill.

“The ability to stay relevant and keep up with the threats are happening–what do we do to ‘boil the ocean’ and still manage risk effectively. We’re looking to put stronger controls in place but also handle things that go wrong–and things will go wrong–so that we can identify threats and react accordingly.”–Mihir Patel, executive vice president and chief risk officer with Mr. Cooper (formerly Nationstar), Dallas.

“We’re going to see loans continue to be processed the traditional way, but we’re also going to increasingly see use of these new methods, because it’s what lenders and customers are demanding.”–Jude Landis, vice president of credit policy and risk management with Fannie Mae, Washington, D.C.

“It’s critical that financial institutions think of themselves as technology providers in order to capture the opportunity to expand upon existing customer relationships and meet the demand for fast, convenient solutions that make people’s lives easier. The best and most convenient options will be the ones that win out.”–Fiserv Chief Operating Officer Mark Ernst.

“MBA commends the House of Representatives for passing bipartisan legislation that includes language aimed at increasing flood insurance options for consumers. We now ask the Senate to follow suit and pass this bipartisan private flood insurance language in the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017.–MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB, in a statement following House passage of MBA-supported legislation to expand private flood insurance products.

“Although there is a lot of blame to go around for the poor quality of loans before the housing crisis, these data reaffirm that purchase borrowers were not the primary culprits.”–Laurie Goodman, director of the Housing Policy Finance Center with the Urban Institute, speaking at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Risk Management, QA and Fraud Prevention Forum.

“Strategic risks remain high for many banks, as management teams consider viable business models. We’re seeing many divergent strategies among banks. We’re seeing a lot of merger and acquisition activity, particularly among mid-sized banks, which in and of itself presents some regulatory risks. And net interest margins are likely to remain under pressure, as rates haven’t moved a lot over the past several years.”–Darrin Benhart, deputy comptroller for supervision risk management with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

“Loans backed by commercial and multifamily properties continue to perform extremely well. For most lender types–including banks, life insurance companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–delinquency rates are at or near their all-time lows.”–MBA Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research Jamie Woodwell.

“The Treasury Department has specifically identified problems with the design of the Volcker Rule, and the OCC acknowledges there is broad recognition that the design of the Volcker Rule should be improved. We agree. We believe weakness in the current rule’s design is a key contributor to the potential adverse impacts described above–and that it also helps explain the difficulty regulators have had interpreting and applying the rule consistently.”–From an MBA letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency advocating changes to the Volcker Rule.

“We urge Treasury, FHFA and Congress to remain focused on addressing the long-term housing finance reform efforts necessary to end GSE conservatorship permanently and create a stronger, stable system for the future that helps ensure all in America have access to affordable housing opportunities.”–from an MBA/trade group letter to Administration officials on GSE reform.