Kate Berry has covered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for American Banker since 2016. She joined the publication in 2006 covering mortgage lending and the financial crisis. Berry also has covered big banks including Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo. She has won five awards from the Society of American Business Writers and Editors, and has worked at several news organizations including the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Business Journal and the Associated Press. Berry began her career as a clerk at the New York Times.
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Banks could originate 300,000 more home loans per quarter and face only a slightly higher risk of default, according to a new report. But lenders are unlikely to loosen lending standards until they are sure that Fannie, Freddie and the FHA have eased up on buyback requests.
November 26 -
The Federal Housing Administration could finally get something it desperately needs: upgrades to its outdated technology infrastructure. But industry groups object to the new fee being proposed to generate the necessary funding.
November 21 -
Lack of diversity in the sales force is one of several nagging issues underlying mortgage lenders' concerns about tepid home sales.
November 6 -
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt has struck a conciliatory tone, seeking lenders' input and making loan-buyback rules more industry-friendly a clear signal the administration thinks it needs bankers' help to reignite the tepid housing recovery.
October 31 -
Embattled nonbank servicer Ocwen took a $100 million charge for a potential settlement of foreclosure violations and posted a third-quarter loss, but warned the final cost to settle allegations that it backdated foreclosure notices could be higher.
October 30 -
In a surprise victory for mortgage servicer PHH Corp., a California judge overturned a $16.2 million jury verdict awarded to a California homeowner in July for a botched loan modification.
October 29 -
The GSE regulator's second attempt to stimulate the mortgage market is receiving a lukewarm reception from lenders, who remain gun-shy after being forced by Fannie and Freddie to repurchase billions of dollars in soured loans since 2008.
October 21 -
A wide swath of banks, from Fifth Third to SunTrust to Huntington, report big increases in refinance applications in the past few days as mortgage rates have dipped. Will it last?
October 17 -
Mortgage lenders are threatening to halt lending on condominiums in Nevada after the state Supreme Court upheld a law allowing homeowners associations to foreclose ahead of first mortgage holders.
October 17 -
Bank of America reported disappointing third quarter results amid questions regarding whether the bank will be able to reduce expenses in its legacy mortgage business as quickly as expected.
October 15 -
The Mortgage Bankers Association continues to push back against regulations stemming from the financial crisis, as the industry's biggest lobbying group continues pushing for regulatory relief to bolster the housing market and boost profits for its members.
October 8 -
Lenders desperately want to make potentially lucrative home loans to those with less-than-stellar credit, but only a few are willing to try given legal uncertainties. Here's how a few are designing their products to get a jump on the competition.
October 1 -
The regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should require banks and mortgage lenders to obtain independent, third-party tests to ensure compliance with its guidelines, according to a government watchdog report.
September 26 -
In the coming months, banks, mortgage lenders, consumer advocates and policy wonks will be slicing and dicing the latest Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data, as they do every year. Rarely, if ever, have the stakes been higher.
September 24 -
At least two mortgage servicers say they are close to being released from an OCC enforcement order that required 14 of the nations largest bank servicers to fix flaws in their foreclosure reviews. But the OCC says it has set no timetable for freeing any of the banks from the 2011 order.
September 18 -
Banks and mortgage lenders may have received too much relief from loan buybacks, putting taxpayers at greater risk for losses, according to a Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general's report.
September 17 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Fannie Mae may actually be helping banks and mortgage lenders boost their bottom lines through better oversight of their third-party vendors.
September 16 -
New regulatory and investor compliance requirements have put a renewed emphasis on quality control measures. But lenders are discovering the additional costs of these efforts are outweighed by the savings from originating fewer defective loans.
September 10 -
The Federal Housing Administration wants lenders to make fewer mistakes when writing mortgages for the government insurance program. The agency also wants to serve more borrowers with low credit scores. Getting both may be tricky.
September 9 -
A conservative housing critic and liberal consumer advocate have created a 15-year home loan for low-income borrowers to build more equity.
September 7
