Loan Think

Meet the new housing finance reform plan, same as the old ones. While that gives it legs, it also presents big challenges.

To make its technology more relevant to the mortgage industry, Fannie Mae is taking a new approach to developing tools that engages lenders earlier in the process and makes lending more efficient.

A provision to remove new mortgage recordkeeping requirements would help overburdened community banks lend without disrupting data collection that is used to police discrimination.

Supporters say pending legislation would help consumers with little or no credit history. But the bill would instead roll back key consumer protections.

Demands for loan quality aren't just coming from regulators and the government-sponsored enterprises. Secondary market partners and investors don't want to be left holding the bag if loans that lenders create have quality issues.

Despite having a qualified candidate ready to serve, Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle have ignored their responsibility to vote on Brian Montgomery's nomination as Federal Housing Administration commissioner.

No individuals have been named in connection with the bank’s recent misdeeds, which resulted in a $1 billion fine, even as some senior leaders stand to gain from the government’s tax cut.

Automating the mortgage process will force tighter margins, but drive higher volume, for lenders.

The reserve bank's proposal to address banks and nonbanks that remain "too big to fail" does not include two of the largest such institutions: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Banks have not yet finished with the wave of lawsuits stemming from the financial crisis. There are ways they can better ward off those threats next time around.