Key senators and consumer groups are urging Congress to wait for a Government Accountability Office study before taking legislative action on Federal Housing Administration reforms -- but don't expect the study to be completed anytime soon."We haven't received the formal request, and we haven't initiated anything," a GAO official said. A spokesman for the Senate Banking Committee said a letter requesting the report would be sent to the GAO by the end of the week. At a June 20 hearing, Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said he is asking the GAO to conduct a study on the Bush administration's FHA single-family reform proposals and wants the GAO to recommend the "most viable options FHA can pursue to serve additional low-income and first-time homebuyers." Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., recently urged Senate appropriators not to include the FHA reforms in a Department of Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, and FHA reform was kept out of the bill. "We have commissioned a study by GAO to examine the implications of the reform proposal," Sen. Shelby said in a July 17 letter. "We believe that it would be premature to legislate without this additional information."
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The quasi-public entity's plan to buy certain closed-end seconds would constitute "unnecessary government encroachment," the Structured Finance Association said.
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The mortgage subsidiary of Hilltop Holdings posted another quarterly loss and volume slipped, but management also sees signs of optimism.
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The increasing frequency and severity of droughts was top of mind for panelists at AmeriCatalyst's "Going to Extremes" conference Thursday.
April 18 -
In a Senate hearing, Director Sandra Thompson said a raise to the required income threshold provided to affordable housing was on the table, while housing regulators also faced questions related to property insurance hikes and title insurance waivers.
April 18 -
The nonpayment rate for non-qualified mortgages is up 21 basis points from February and 134 basis points from March 2023, Morningstar DBRS said.
April 18 -
The government mortgage-bond guarantor will require additional information on foreclosure prevention actions, and retire some forbearance reporting.
April 18