National Mortgage News - July/August 2019

As officials prepare plans for the government-sponsored enterprises' exit from conservatorship, there's no shortage of speculation about what those plans might look like and how they might affect the mortgage industry.

Many banks have already scaled back home lending or even left the business. With profit margins shrinking, inventories of homes at crisis levels and competition from nonbanks intensifying, that’s unlikely to change.

The launch of a combined securitization platform for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is meant to ease the transition to a new housing finance system. But questions remain about how the mortgage sphere will adapt to the single security.

Mortgage company merger and acquisition activity should continue to increase in 2019 as loan production costs rise and originations stay flat.

The agency's vote Thursday threatens to block many of the industry's communications with customers, though banks did win one concession.

After years of expansion as a public company, Ellie Mae went private and cut 10% of its workforce. But new ways to grow lie ahead, according to CEO Jonathan Corr.

Many community banks have given up on national mortgage platforms as not worth the effort, but organizers of NXG Bank in Maryland say they have a plan to make one work.

At a time when costs continue to soar and regulators weigh reforms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, more than half of the Democratic presidential candidates have talked about housing on the campaign trail.

Ginnie Mae is examining whether the shift in business to nonbank issuers has implications beyond the risks it has historically looked at, and identifying advantages that should be nurtured as well.

There's been chatter about whether the government-sponsored enterprises should be considered systemically important. But supporters must consider that such a designation would put the Fed in charge of their supervision, a step that would do more harm than good.

The agency’s new guidance would limit some nonprofits’ ability to help borrowers pay their down payments, leading to higher home costs.

Mortgage industry hiring and new job appointments for the week ending June 28.

From secondary markets along the East Coast to the heart of the Midwest, here's a look at cities where consumers are losing ground in purchasing power as summer approaches, based on changes in housing values compared to local wages and mortgage rates.