MBA Newslinks Archive

“Every major investor group and property type except one has seen increases in year-to-date lending volumes, and we expect year-end numbers to continue that trend.”
–MBA Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research Jamie Woodwell.   

“The unemployment rate is well within the Fed’s central tendency for full employment, and the U-6 unemployment rate also ticked down noticeably in the month. Reduced slack in the labor market is beginning to lead to increased wages.”
–John Silvia, chief economist with Wells Fargo Securities, Charlotte, N.C.

“MBA commends the full House for its strong bipartisan vote to pass the Neugebauer-Huizenga amendment and remove from the highway bill an extension of higher Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee fees that would have served as a tax on homeownership, as well as a harmful reduction in the dividend paid on Federal Reserve bank stock. Given the widespread support for the amendment from Republicans and Democrats alike, we will continue to strongly advocate for the House position as House and Senate leaders meet to reconcile the differences between the two chambers’ highway bills.”  
–MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB. 

“The purpose of these fees is to guard against credit losses at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and should only be used to protect taxpayers from mortgage losses. The amendment would also remove a harmful proposal to reduce the dividend paid on Federal Reserve stock, which would reduce the amount of capital banks of all sizes have to lend to small businesses and consumers. MBA urges the House to pass this amendment in order to protect taxpayers, consumers and the overall health of the housing and finance system.”
–MBA President and CEO David Stevens.

“The proposed language requires lenders to report all errors, regardless of their materiality to compliance. Under this strict standard–meeting all requirements at all times–the FHA certification does not recognize good faith compliance by the majority of its approved lenders and causes them to qualify certifications under a more stringent and inconsistent annual reporting standard.”
–MBA Senior Vice President of Residential Policy and Member Engagement Pete Mills., in a letter to HUD over proposed changes to FHA loan-level certifications.

“Many consumers still prefer speaking to an expert at certain points during the mortgage shopping process. At the same time, mortgage lenders should consider the appropriate mix of traditional, online and mobile mortgage channels and functionality to address the evolving consumer preferences of the particular market segments they serve.”–Fannie Mae Director of Business Strategy Steve Deggendorf.

“Given the depth and complexity of these issues and the need for stakeholders to have adequate time to comment on this important rule, we urge the Commission and FINRA to revise the public comment period to at least 45 days.” -From a joint letter sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority regarding a proposed rule that would require collateral be posted on forward-settling agency securities.

“The housing bust hit condo values hard, and over the past few years, buying a condo wasn’t always considered a good investment compared to a single-family home. But that’s changing, and condos increasingly represent a strong-performing, often affordable choice, particularly for first-time buyers interested both in homeownership and in keeping a lower-maintenance, city lifestyle.”
–Zillow Chief Economist Svenja Gudell.

“Borrowing and lending in commercial and multifamily real estate markets is strong. Interest rates that have stayed lower longer than most anticipated, and continued growth in property incomes and values are all pushing mortgage origination levels higher.”
–MBA Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research Jamie Woodwell.

“Opens Doors is thrilled at the incredible outpouring of support from so many different corners of the real estate finance and housing industry. The nation’s largest homebuilders, along with large depository institutions, community banks, independent mortgage bankers, residential firms, commercial/multifamily firms and many more companies and individuals all made generous contributions to our efforts.” 
–Debra Still, CMB, chairman of the MBA Opens Doors Foundation and president and CEO of Pulte Mortgage.