New Legislation Would Permanently Bar Using Fannie, Freddie G-Fees for Federal Spending

HousingWire, Apr. 13, 2016–Lane, Ben
Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., introduced the bill, called H.R. 489 or the Risk Management and Homeowner Stability Act of 2016, earlier this week, along with Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., and Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Texas. The bill would amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to prohibit the use of guarantee fees as budgetary offsets.

Fannie’s and Freddie’s Plan to Cut Mortgage Balances May Be Near

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 13, 2016–Light, Joe
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could forgive mortgage principal for thousands of borrowers under a new plan to be rolled out by their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as soon as Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter.

Big Banks Have Risks–and Benefits

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 13, 2015–Ip, Greg
Before breaking up big banks, regulators should consider the costs to customers and the economy.

Wells Fargo Profit Drops as Energy Pain Spreads

Wall Street Journal, Apr. 14, 2016–Rudegeair, Peter; Glazer, Emily
Wells Fargo & Co.’s first-quarter profit fell 5.9% as the nation’s third-largest bank by assets said the slump in oil prices continued to punish energy companies and started to hurt some consumers.

Bank of America’s Mortgage Income Down as Loans Go into Portfolio

National Mortgage News, Apr. 14, 2016–Finkelstein, Brad
Total mortgage income at B of A was $433 million, down from $694 million a year ago as the strategy of putting loans on its balance sheet meaning the bank gets less gain-on-sale revenue.

UBS Will Pay $69.8 to NCUA for Credit Union RMBS Losses

HousingWire, Apr. 15, 2016–Lane, Ben
The National Credit Union Administration announced it reached a $69.8 million settlement with UBS, as the company becomes the latest to settle with the NCUA over losses related to several corporate credit unions’ purchases of faulty residential mortgage-backed securities in the run-up to the financial crisis.

Home Equity Loan Balances Fall Again in Q4 ’15

Banking Exchange, Apr. 15, 2016–Garber, Kate; Iyer, Venkatesh
Home equity loans and lines of credit declined on the balance sheets of the nation’s largest banks during the fourth quarter of 2015, as pay-downs of equity lines and balances outpaced new originations. “Large banks had been leading providers of HELOCs pre-crisis, so it is not surprising that they are seeing these trends to an even greater extent,” said Mike Fratantoni, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Shelby Requests Federal Watchdogs Probe FHFA, Fannie, Freddie

Morning Consult, Apr. 18, 2016–Rainey, Ryan
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby on Monday requested the Government Accountability Office and Congressional Budget Office look into practices at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the government-sponsored enterprises it oversees.