Category: Top National News

Reuters, Mar. 1, 2017–Eric BeechU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday the Trump administration’s tax reform plan will not change the deductibility of mortgage interest and charitable contributions.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2017–Ian McKendry (subscription)A vote on a House plan to replace the Dodd-Frank Act may not happen as quickly as originally anticipated due to limited floor time and other legislative priorities such as health care reform likely to take precedent.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 1, 2017–Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)It’s been almost two years since Dallas-based Wingspan declared bankruptcy and the case has yet to be fully resolved. Now, with interest rates and home prices on the rise, the market is shifting yet again. What could be fixed at Wingspan–and what couldn’t–remain good object lessons about the opportunities and risks that surface when economic cycles turn.

DSNews, Mar. 1, 2017–Aly J. YaleThe volume of mortgage-related complaints received by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is holding steady, according to the agency’s Monthly Complaint Report.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 1, 2017–Robyn A. Friedman (subscription)Many homeowners took out home-equity lines of credit during the housing boom, when property values soared. Now the typical 10-year term on these loans is expiring, and many people will be surprised that their monthly payments are about to go up-some, substantially.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 1, 2017Issuance of fixed-rate mortgage-backed securities on behalf of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae was $94.316 billion in February. That turned out to be the slowest month for securitizations of agency home loans since February 2016.

HousingWire, Mar. 6, 2017–Brena SwansonThe United States revealed last Friday that it now supports PHH in its landmark case against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, switching sides from its original stance back in December.

National Mortgage News, Mar. 6, 2017–Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)Rising interest rates have slowed a recent run of unexpectedly high prepayments of government-insured mortgages, making servicing rights for loans held in Ginnie Mae securities more attractive to investors.

National Real Estate Investor, Mar. 6, 2017–Gary BechtelThese are still worrisome times for many in real estate, and while traditional bank lenders remain constrained by the regulations enacted by Dodd-Frank and Basel III, alternative lenders in large part have been filling the void and providing the liquidity this industry needs to stay afloat.

Mortgage Daily, Mar. 6, 2017Including commercial and non-commercial activity, there were 58,336 debtors who filed a new case with U.S. Bankruptcy Courts in February.