Secondary

The New York Department of Financial Services disapproved the merger between Fidelity National Financial and Stewart Information Services, regulatory filings from both title insurance underwriters said.

Just as the Trump administration appears focused on releasing a framework without Congress, the Senate Banking Committee has re-entered the policy fray with a new proposal.

Residential mortgage-backed securities servicers are better able to weather a downturn and the resulting loan defaults today versus before the crisis because of their investments in technology and regulatory compliance, Fitch Ratings said.

The Senate Banking Committee chairman released an outline for overhauling the U.S. housing finance system more than 10 years after the government put Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into conservatorship.

China Oceanwide's acquisition of Genworth has been postponed until March, prolonging uncertainty about the fate of the acquired company's U.S. private mortgage insurance unit that could be resolved by the deal.

The agency's acting director said he welcomes lawmakers' “insight and perspective” on how to end the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Ginnie Mae has restricted loanDepot's ability to securitize Veterans Affairs mortgages because of apparent churning of recent originations.

Mortgage originations for the next two years will be higher than previously expected as lower interest rates at the end of 2018 will lead to more refinance volume, Freddie Mac said.

A White House spokeswoman said the administration wants to work with Congress on a housing finance reform plan, providing evidence that changes might not be imminent.

Fixing the housing finance system is "the last piece of unaddressed business from the financial crisis," according to a summary of to-do items released by the Banking Committee's chairman.