FHA

The Trump administration's thinking on housing is filled with conflicts and contradictions, a quilt work of at times irrational proposals that seem to be at odds with the real world of mortgage finance.

Millennials took advantage of mortgage rates falling to near three-year lows in August, increasing their refinance share to the highest percentage since December 2015, according to Ellie Mae.

Mortgage applications increased 8.1% from one week earlier as conventional mortgage rates fell under 4% again, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Federal Housing Administration should monitor reverse mortgage servicers more closely and track related data that would shed light on a rise in defaults, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

The recent spike in mortgage interest rates reduced home purchase application activity last week, contributing to a 10.1% decline in total activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The proposed reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have gotten all the attention, but the administration also wants to scale back the Federal Housing Administration, expand its capital cushion and adopt risk-based pricing. Some of the ideas have former agency officials concerned.

Mortgage applications decreased 0.1% from one week earlier as conforming and jumbo interest rates climbed back above 4%, which slowed refinance activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The low mortgage rates of August drove new homebuyers to cannonball into the purchase market compared to the year before, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

A mortgage industry executive with ties to a firm penalized in a U.S. predatory lending crackdown is being considered by the Trump administration to run Ginnie Mae, according to people familiar with the matter.

An indictment unsealed in a Brooklyn federal court alleged four New Yorkers and one Floridian misled mortgage companies, the government-sponsored enterprises and a government agency regarding short-sale property prices.

Mortgage credit availability tightened in August by the most since the end of last year, even though falling interest rates sparked a strong uptick in refinancings, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

A swell of refinance demand amid a low mortgage rate environment pushed lender profit margin outlooks to the highest level since the first quarter of 2015, according to Fannie Mae.

The use of state housing finance agency down payment assistance programs is part of the solution to address the growing affordable housing gap, a Fitch Ratings report said.

Mortgage applications increased 2% on an adjusted basis from one week earlier driven by gains in the purchase market while refinance activity was flat, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The legislation takes aim at third-party bank service vendors, the backlog of FHA appraisals, rural housing assistance and other issues where there is broad agreement.

While many lenders lately managed their business expecting reduced volume, now they get to capitalize on extremely low mortgage rates. But today's benevolent conditions will not always be with the industry.

With its proposal to restrict disparate-impact claims, the Trump administration seems determined to solve a problem that does not exist.

The Trump administration is not backing down even after a federal court blocked guidance that would have limited the operations of national housing funds.

Mortgage applications fell 3.1% from one week earlier even with another decrease in rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

New Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data shows debt-to-income ratios have risen but also have been frequently cited among reasons for denials, suggesting lenders are becoming more cautious about this underwriting metric.