Underwriting

Mortgage rates moved slightly higher in reaction to Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen's Aug. 26 speech, but still remain near their all-time record lows, according to Freddie Mac.

Regulatory infighting over bond loans offered by down payment assistance programs has the potential to curtail lending to first-time buyers and do real damage to homeownership.

The mortgage application forms from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should make for stronger loans, according to an analyst at Moody's Investors Service.

U.S. acquisitions have buoyed profits at Canada’s biggest banks, whose domestic economy is sluggish and possibly on the verge of a housing crisis. The banks are expected to pursue more M&A in the U.S. if that problem persists.

Equifax and TransUnion have stopped selling traditional credit reports, forcing lenders to buy their new, more expensive "trended" data reports that mortgage investors aren't using yet.

Mortgage rates held steady from the previous week, while still remaining near their all-time record lows, according to Freddie Mac.

The Federal Housing Administration should look to private mortgage insurance companies as a model for how to standardize the claim review process.

The first commercial mortgage-backed security to comply with "skin in the game" requirements was extremely well received. Market participants credit the way the large banks sponsoring the deal retained the risk – a strategy unavailable to nonbank lenders.

Mortgage rates edged downward this week as the market anticipated Wednesday's release of the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's July meeting, Freddie Mac reported.

A monthly gain in refinance activity coupled with a decrease in rates last month, according to data from Ellie Mae. However, loan turnaround times as a whole remained static.