Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) will ring in the New Year by starting to accept the redesigned Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA) and updated automated underwriting system (AUS) loan application submission files based on MISMO v3.4. Beginning January 1, 2021, all lenders, aggregators and third-party originators who are ready to send and accept the redesigned URLA may participate in the two-month Open Production Period (OPP), which allows for a gradual transition prior to the March 1, 2021 mandate.
Category: News and Trends
ATTOM: Fewer Foreclosure Filings as Moratoria Extend into 2021
ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., said foreclosure filings continued to fall last month amid the budding holiday season and federal and state foreclosure moratoria.
Home Equity Reaches Record High: Homeowners Gained $1 Trillion in 3Q Equity
CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said U.S. homeowners with mortgages saw their equity increase by 10.8% year over year in the third quarter—a collective equity gain of $1 trillion and an average gain of $17,000 per homeowner.
RIHA Study: Widening Inequality After Great Recession Attributed to Decline in Homeownership, Home Values
Distribution of wealth among U.S. households became increasingly unequal from 2007 through 2016 as a decline in homeownership and home values impacted the wealth of middle-class families, according to a new research report, The Distribution of Wealth Since the Great Recession, released last week by the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Research Institute for Housing America.
CMBS Delinquency Rate Dips
The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate dipped in November, largely due to continued Coronavirus debt relief, said Fitch Ratings, New York.
CoreLogic: Serious Delinquencies Level Off in ‘Positive Signal’
CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said its monthly Loan Performance Insights Report for September showed a leveling off of serious loan delinquencies, a “positive signal” that the housing finance industry is thus far adjusting to the pandemic-induced economic downturn.
MBA: Share of Loans in Forbearance Flat at 5.54%
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s latest Forbearance and Call Volume Survey reported loans now in forbearance remained unchanged from the prior week at 5.54% as of November 29. MBA estimates 2.8 million homeowners are in forbearance plans.
REIT Outlook Negative, But Improving
The 2021 rating outlook for U.S. real estate investment trusts remains negative, but Fitch Ratings, New York, said its outlook for the sector is improving.
Hotel Sector Recovery Slows
The hotel sector recovery has slowed in recent months after rebounding in the fall from April lows, said Fitch Ratings, New York.
FHA Follows Suit, Raises Single-Family Loan Limits for 2021
As expected, the Federal Housing Administration matched Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in its single-family and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage insurance programs for 2021.