Compliance & Regulation

The fate of low-income and minority families under housing finance reform remains at the heart of negotiations over a Senate bill, highlighting a longstanding split between advocates pushing for affordable rental options and those urging access to homeownership.

Like other parts of the real estate finance business, appraisal management companies are dealing with increased costs and less income.

Bill Ackman, who runs the $15 billion Pershing Square Capital Management, said that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will probably soar because there's no way to replace the mortgage guarantee companies.

Homeowners who had a single point of contact at their mortgage servicer were twice as likely to receive and accept a mortgage modification and half as likely to be denied a modification, according to Fannie Mae.

The title giant is betting it can capitalize on growing demand for technologies that will help lenders stay competitive. The challenge will be doing so without getting stung itself by the industry's regulatory and volume problems.

Prices for loans underlying commercial mortgage-backed securities held steady over the past month, according to DebtX, which operates an online marketplace for loan sales.

The Senate Banking Committee continued negotiations over the weekend on landmark legislation to overhaul the mortgage finance system, but it still remains unclear when, or if, panel leaders will reschedule a key vote on the bill.

IntercontinentalExchange Group Inc. is pitching Wall Street on new derivative contracts allowing investors to wager on U.S. homeowner defaults, six years after subprime-mortgage swaps helped fuel the financial crisis, according to five people with knowledge of the matter.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's initiative for 200,000 affordable housing units over 10 years calls for a $1 billion investment from the city's five public employee pension funds and the use of tax-exempt 501(c)(3) governmental purpose bonds to finance middle-income housing.

The Federal Housing Administration's new electronic signature policy contains confusing language that could stifle lender adoption, despite its good intentions, paperless-mortgage advocates warn.