MBA Newslinks Archive

“The overall complexity of the mortgage industry has gone up exponentially. Blockchain provides a simple, chronological order for ensuring security.”–Adi Ghosh, director of Sapient Global Markets, Boston.

“Today’s paper is intended to provide thoughtful recommendations on how to reform the GSEs while ensuring a healthy, robust secondary mortgage market emerges for both single-family and multifamily mortgages. The U.S. mortgage market requires global capital in order to maintain adequate liquidity through all economic cycles. International and institutional investors will only fill that role if there is an explicit government guarantee on the securities, something that can only be obtained by congressional action.”–MBA Chairman Rodrigo Lopez, CMB, on a new MBA paper advocating secondary mortgage market reform.

“We’ve seen a permanent shift in consumer behavior. We buy experiences now. We’re not moving as much; we’re spending more on home improvements–on experiences that we can enjoy.”–Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president and group head of market insights with MasterCard Advisors, New York.

“MBA has been at the forefront of GSE reform. The conservatorship was never intended as a full time solution. And with a new Administration and a new Congress, we have an opportunity to move the process forward.”–MBA Vice Chairman Chris George.

“You have a number of Federal Reserve officials speaking in a hawkish way, given that we are near full employment and see strong consumer spending.”–MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni, on the likelihood of the Federal Reserve raising the federal funds rate at least three times this year.

“Largely, we are a collection of small businesses. “We operate differently from the large guys; we don’t have the same opportunity of brand. As a small business, we do things large things large businesses can’t–and not necessarily with less compliance, less structure or less policies and procedures.”–MBA Vice Chairman Chris George.

“The difference in survival for mortgage lending firms as we transition from a refinance to a purchase market depends on how quickly and adeptly the lender supports the shift.”–MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB.

“We recognize the Administration’s need to examine the overall health of the insurance program and weigh that against the benefits of lowering mortgage insurance premiums. Given that lenders have already started preparing for the MIP decrease, it is important that any new policy be implemented in a way that minimizes disruption for borrowers and lenders.”–MBA President and CEO David Stevens, CMB.

“How a building is secured can have a substantial impact on the total costs that its vacant status imposes on its neighbors, the community and society. It impacts future foreclosures and the costs of those foreclosures.”–Former Treasury Assistant Secretary Aaron Klein, author of a study by Community Blight Solutions on the impact of vacant and abandoned properties on neighborhoods and communities.