Category: News and Trends

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau yesterday issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s grassroots advocacy arm, the Mortgage Action Alliance, issued a Call to Action yesterday urging support of legislation that would improve mortgage access for the self-employed, gig workers and other non-traditional borrowers.

The commercial mortgage-backed securities delinquency rate fell six basis points to 2.82 percent in April, the lowest delinquency reading since the 2008 financial crisis.

Black Knight, Jacksonville, Fla., reported the share of borrowers who remain with their prior servicer post-refinance reached record lows, creating possible challenges in an ever more competitive marketplace.

Fitch Ratings, New York, said U.S. residential mortgage-backed securities servicers are continuing to grow their portfolios with much cleaner products, while the volume of problematic loans continues to decline.

Home remodeling has been on an extended kick the past few years, with more homeowners opting to stay in their homes longer amid rising home prices and housing inventory shortages. Now, several forecasts see a slowdown in remodeling activity–which, for the mortgage industry, might not be such a bad thing.

The Census Bureau yesterday said the U.S. homeownership rate fell for the first time in two years amid market volatility and a decline in consumer confidence.

Home insurance rates have increased in every state over the past decade–but the biggest increases have occurred in states one might not associate with high-profile disasters.

More than 10 years past the Great Recession, African-American and Hispanic communities hit hard by foreclosures have yet to fully recover, said Zillow, Seattle.

ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., said homeowners who sold in the first quarter realized an average price gain of $57,500 since purchase, representing an average 31.5 percent return on the purchase price.