Category: Top National News

Bloomberg, Aug. 17, 2018–Christopher Maloney”Once the Fed crossed the Rubicon into QE, they are never going to go back,” according to Walt Schmidt, head of MBS research at FTN Financial, whose advisory group has $17 billion in agency mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations under management.

HousingWire, Aug. 17, 2018–Ben LaneEverything is going swimmingly in multifamily real estate these days, right? Rents keep rising, construction is still chugging along, deals are being made, and delinquencies are still at historic lows. So everything’s good, right? Maybe not.

UExpress, Aug. 17, 2018–Lew SichelmanMost lenders require escrow accounts to make sure these bills are paid on time, thereby reducing the risk that you will default on the mortgage or incur liens on the property. Either of those possibilities will place a cloud on your title, making the property more difficult to sell–by you or the bank, should it have to foreclose.

Scotsman Guide, Aug. 16, 2018–Victor WhitmanForeclosure starts on residential mortgages dropped to the lowest point in 31 years at the midway point of 2018, but mortgage delinquencies have ticked up compared to last year, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

HousingWire, Aug. 16, 2018–John VongThe author, with ComplianceEase, says recent action by the California Department of Business Oversight is one more example of state regulators filling the void left by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Mortgage Daily, Aug. 17, 2018Monthly refinances of government-sponsored enterprise loans sank to the lowest level on recent record. Refinances of Freddie Mac suffered most.

National Mortgage News, Aug. 16, 2018–Hannah Long (subscription)The Federal Housing Administration is revising its foreclosure prevention options to assist struggling borrowers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands affected by last year’s hurricanes.

American Banker, Aug. 15, 2018–Joe Adler (subscription)The Senate Banking Committee has rescheduled a vote on Kathy Kraninger, the administration’s nominee to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Aug. 23.

Wall Street Journal, Aug. 15, 2018–Cezary Podkul (subscription)At issue is whether income from apartment complexes was falsified to support larger loans–which often became part of mortgage securities.

HousingWire, Aug. 15, 2018–Kelsey RamirezHome remodeling continues to increase in frequency as more Baby Boomers are electing to age in place and even Gen Xers opt to improve their current homes rather than trading up to newer ones.