Underwriting

Loan limits for the Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance program in 2016 will rise in 188 counties across the nation where home prices increased.

High loan-to-value ratio lending is gaining ground, spurred by the reintroduction 12 months ago of GSE-backed products that only require a 3% down payment, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Two independent mortgage banks agreed to settlements in the past week with the Justice Department for failing to meet Federal Housing Administration guidelines. The cases are a warning to nonbank lenders that they need to beef up self-reporting of deficiencies, and they remind large banks about the legal risks associated with FHA lending.

Anticipation of rising interest rates has stirred more talk among mortgage lenders about the need to originate loans to borrowers with low credit scores.

Broadway Financial Corp. in Los Angeles has been released from an enforcement action requiring it to improve its corporate governance.

Jeff Patmont got his home loan on his phone. The 30-year-old marketing manager for a medical-device company said he did almost everything electronically for the mortgage on his home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A plan by the government-sponsored enterprises to begin collecting the new Closing Disclosure data is designed to promote Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's loan quality goals. But the initiative may also prompt broader use of e-signatures and paperless processing.

Mortgage rates remained steady during the week ending Nov. 25, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

Commercial mortgages bundled into securities will keep seeing their underwriting standards deteriorate from this year into 2016, said JPMorgan analysts in a report Wednesday.

The percentage of mortgage applications with defects declined in October, according to First American Financial Corp.

Rising incomes and other affordability markers have tempered the impact of rising home prices in hot West Coast markets, according to Pro Teck Valuation Services.

There's been concern this year that commercial mortgage bonds are getting backed by loans that are increasingly risky.

Fannie Mae has introduced an improved online data portal, which users can customize to receive reports on loan servicing, pricing and other areas.

Commercial mortgage underwriting standards have already loosened dramatically this year, but it seems that some borrowers are still trying to get away with a little more.

As demand outpaced supply in the third quarter, the amount of money consumers put down to buy a home ticked up, according to LendingTree.

Prospect Mortgage, a Sherman Oaks, Calif., nonbank lender, has agreed to pay $10.1 million in borrower restitution and penalties for violating federal and state laws, California's Department of Business Oversight said Thursday.

Interest rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell slightly during the week ending Nov. 19, as the market and investors have mixed opinions on whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month, according to Freddie Mac.

Credit scores on closed loans reached five consecutive months of decline in October, according to Ellie Mae.

The Federal Housing Administration's unexpected windfall is already generating industry talk about another premium cut by the agency — but FHA officials insist such discussion is premature.

The government's aggressive (and unsuccessful) prosecution of tiny Abacus Federal Savings Bank stands as one of the oddest episodes of post-crisis era.