The Lede

CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said despite a fiscal year-end surge in foreclosures, the national foreclosure inventory of single-family homes continued to fall from historically high levels.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, an a letter to House and Senate appropriators, urged continued funding for HUD staffing and systems upgrades, full funding for Ginnie Mae and support for FHA multifamily and healthcare programs. 

For the first time since 2008, the Federal Housing Administration's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund capital ratio exceeds its congressionally mandated threshold of 2 percent, HUD said yesterday.  

The Mortgage Bankers Association continued its pressure on Congress to leave out a provision in a highway reauthorization bill that would allow an increase in Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac credit guaranty fees to fund highway projects.  

Chicago Tribune, Nov. 12, 2015--Harney, KennethFor thousands of people across the country who thought they'd never qualify for a mortgage to buy a home, next month could be a key turning point.

National Mortgage Professional, Nov. 10, 2015--Hall, Phil The U.S. foreclosure inventory in September witnessed a 24.3 percent year-over-year decline, while the number of completed foreclosures declined by 17.6 percent compared with September 2014, according to new data from CoreLogic.

HousingWire, Nov. 16, 2015--Swanson, Brena There is no urgency to lower mortgage insurance premiums right now, David Stevens, Mortgage Bankers Association president and CEO, said following the Federal Housing Administration's 2015 Actuarial Report released on Monday.

The Hill, Nov. 16, 2015--Needham, Vicki The Federal Housing Administration's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund on Monday eclipsed a key benchmark for the first time since the financial crisis, reflecting an improvement in the agency's health and steering it well clear of another taxpayer infusion, according to an independent analysis sent to Congress. David Stevens, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, urged policymakers to look carefully at the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, the FHA's reverse mortgage program that enables withdrawal of home equity.

HousingWire, Nov. 16, 2015--Galante, Carol Former FHA administrator said report validates that the policies put in place by FHA over the last 7 years have enabled FHA to strengthen its financial position while also strengthening the economy and providing access to mortgage credit.

Washington Post, Nov. 16, 2015--McGregor, Jena Monday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve a bill that would suspend new annual target compensation of $4 million each for Freddie Mac CEO Donald Layton and Fannie Mae CEO Timothy Mayopoulos. If signed into law by President Obama, the bill would return the cap on their pay to $600,000.

National Mortgae News, Nov. 16, 2015--Peters, Andy Mortgage delinquency rates continued their double-digit yearly declines in the third quarter, according to TransUnion.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 16, 2015--Peters, Andy The number of underperforming loans transferred to special-servicing status dropped in October, according to Fitch Ratings.

Washington Post, Nov. 15, 2015--Samuelson, Robert The safest course for the White House and Congress has been to save the GSEs and enlist them in the housing recovery. So that's what they did--and that's how Fannie and Freddie survived.

New York Times, Nov. 13, 2015--Prevost, Lisa Rising home prices are raising equity levels, and homeowners are cashing in on these gains.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 13, 2015--Lindorff, David In the wake of the financial crisis, only one bank is believed to have faced a criminal trial on charges of mortgage fraud. A Jury in New York state court acquitted the bank of all charges this summer.