FHA

The Federal Housing Administration was battered by losses this year from reverse mortgages, casting doubt on whether the agency will adopt an Obama-era proposal to reduce mortgage insurance premiums.

Mortgage application activity rose 3.1% from one week earlier as refinance demand increased, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Trump officials have made clear their intent to reexamine how Federal Housing Administration lenders are cited under the False Claims Act, but whether that means lenders can rest easier is an open question.

Mortgage application activity was unchanged from one week earlier although rates came back down slightly from their four-month high, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Capital One Financial will stop originating mortgage and home-equity loans after competition made it difficult for the businesses to be profitable.

More FHA homeowners than expected are refinancing out of the program and into conventional mortgages, despite an increase in mortgage rates over the past year.

Serious delinquencies on Federal Housing Administration loans popular among first-time home buyers with affordability constraints have improved this year, but may be reaching a plateau.

The HUD secretary’s comment that such use of the False Claims Act was “ridiculous” may delight the mortgage industry but does not bode well for taxpayers or the federal government’s future fraud enforcement efforts.

Growth in loans with higher debt-to-income ratios is reviving focus on a regulatory exemption for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other federal agencies that back mortgages.

Mark Calabria, the chief economic adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, said the administration is focused for now on more pressing issues than GSE reform, including addressing housing damage from recent hurricanes.

Millennials took advantage of lower interest rates in September to refinance their mortgages, according to Ellie Mae.

Mortgage rates rose to their highest level since July, leading to a 2.6% decrease in loan applications from one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Canyon 2 wildfire has been contained for more than a week, but aftereffects from the 9,200-acre conflagration still are rippling throughout Orange County, Calif.

Brian Montgomery appears headed for easy confirmation for another stint as commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, despite objections by Sen. Elizabeth Warren that he is too close to the financial services industry.

Most secondary market outlets, along with the non-qualified mortgage lenders, remain reluctant to lend to legal cannabis workers because of the source and nature of their compensation, but opportunities are beginning to emerge.

Mortgage applications decreased 4.6% from one week earlier because of higher rates for conforming and government loans, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The Federal Housing Administration has extended waivers on timelines for disaster-related re-inspections to properties in Puerto Rico affected by Hurricane Maria as well as other properties impacted by California wildfires.

Mortgage lenders are urging the thousands of displaced homeowners to reach out to them in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires so fire victims can begin the process of either rebuilding or moving on, leaving behind the home they once had.

Cannabis businesses are legal in 29 states, but compliance questions on the federal level are keeping mortgage lenders from making loans to the industry's workers.

For the past eight years, Brian Montgomery has helped mortgage lenders fight penalties sought by the Federal Housing Administration. Now he's President Trump's nominee to lead the agency.