Compliance

Rep. John Delaney said Tuesday that he's "optimistic" Congress could take up reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac next term, despite the political difficulties lawmakers have faced in getting legislation approved over the past two years.

Mortgage underwriting overlays are not only tighter than they were precrisis, they're more restrictive than they were 15 years ago — a trend that Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro wants to change.

There is a good chance legislation that would provide regulatory relief to small banks and address concerns about which banks are dubbed systemically important could be wrapped in the same Senate bill next year, experts said at National Mortgage News's 4th Annual Regulatory Symposium.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complaint database is an excellent source of information to help lenders make adjustments and refine their operations.

To move quality control earlier into the origination process, lenders should rely on automated data checks

The U.S. Attorney General seeks to lift a cap on whistleblower incentives that encourage a practice increasingly used in mortgage-based claims even as another U.S. official presses for more lending.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau remains committed to working with the financial services industry to improve the mortgage closing experience for consumers through the use of technology, CFPB director Richard Cordray said.

The commitment by the two housing giants marks a win for upstart VantageScore Solutions in its quest to compete against industry leader Fair Isaac Corp. However, the outcome of the review is uncertain, and Fannie warned that the costs of adopting new credit scores might prove to be "substantial" for lenders and others.

All the mistakes and errors in a loan file should be dealt with prior to the mortgage funding.

A regulatory mechanism designed to support unsolicited ratings includes obligations that complicate its use. Post-crisis single-family securitization sectors like the new rental market are instead drawing "unsolicited comments."

Home loans to lower-income Americans are dwindling as Washington regulators and major banks continue to haggle over who pays when riskier mortgages go bad.

Mortgage insurers agree that the FHFA's capital-retention proposal would offer more clarity than the existing regulatory framework, but they share concerns about the treatment of single-premium policies, risk requirements and other details.

Essent Guaranty in Radnor, Pa., is now an approved insurer of mortgage loans sold to Federal Home Loan Banks.

At least two mortgage servicers say they are close to being released from an OCC enforcement order that required 14 of the nation’s largest bank servicers to fix flaws in their foreclosure reviews. But the OCC says it has set no timetable for freeing any of the banks from the 2011 order.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are charging excessive loan fees, according to some industry groups, who claim it is time to stop overcharging borrowers who use conventional financing to buy a home.

During a wide-ranging discussion of the economy and regulation, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf cited several factors that were harming the housing market. His comments came the same day the White House hosted a meeting on the topic.

A bill introduced in the House Financial Services Committee would eliminate appraisal requirements established by the Dodd-Frank Act for certain higher-risk mortgages when lenders hold the loans in portfolio for at least three years.

Post-crisis developments put a lot of underperforming loans in the hands of a small number of servicers. Increased regulation and the need for specialized skills drove banks out of the business.

California is planning to sell $110 million of veterans general obligation bonds in a competitive offering Thursday.

Banks and mortgage lenders may have received too much relief from loan buybacks, putting taxpayers at greater risk for losses, according to a Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general's report.