Mortgages

Even before taking office, Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin has said he wants to return Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private sector, a radically different vision of housing finance reform than that pushed by other Republicans.

Some banks are set to get a fourth-quarter earnings boost from their MSR portfolios, thanks to a sudden spike in yields on Treasury bonds. Add to that the prospect of further rate hikes and the potential dismantling of Basel III, and more banks could be encouraged to re-enter the servicing business.

Arch Capital Group plans to offer $950 million of senior notes, using the proceeds to fund a portion of its acquisition of United Guaranty Corp. and AIG United Guaranty Insurance (Asia) Ltd. from AIG.

President-elect Donald Trump recognizes that full repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act is unlikely, though he supports a House effort to make significant changes, according to a former banker who was on the shortlist to be Treasury secretary.

The average credit score nationwide rose four points from last year to 673 points, according to Experian.

Mortgage application volume decreased 9.4% from one week earlier as key interest rates hit their highest level since July 2015, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

President-elect Donald Trump's imminent choice for Commerce secretary is a billionaire investor who swooped in to prop up troubled banks after the financial meltdown. Some members of the banking world, including regulators, may be glad he was picked for Commerce chief instead of Treasury secretary.

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin wasted no time Wednesday wading into one of the thorniest debates in the financial services arena, saying the Trump administration would seek to end government control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Much like President-elect Donald Trump himself, expected Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin represents something of a question mark for bankers when it comes to his agenda.

While President-elect Donald Trump already faces numerous potential conflicts-of-interest between his businesses and the presidency, his real estate ties and campaign promises raise serious questions about his approach to the housing industry.

United Wholesale Mortgage is getting rid of escrow waiver fees for certain loans in a bid to make brokers more competitive with mortgage banks.

Foreclosure starts dropped to the lowest level recorded since January 2005, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Mortgage bankers are anxiously waiting to see who President-elect Donald Trump will pick as the next Treasury secretary. Several prominent names have been floated for the job, though with every passing day, a new possible choice seems to pop up. Following is a look at the current crop of candidates and their chances.

Freddie Mac has published a list of companies that meet its requirements regarding the creation, signing and storage of electronic promissory notes.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities continued to climb in September, while a gauge of values nationwide exceeded the pre-recession peak, according to S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data.

Many big banks are backing away from the retail channel and FHA lending due to rising compliance costs. But U.S. Bank Home Mortgage President Tom Wind sees an opportunity to leverage those challenges to improve efficiency and transparency.

Demand for housing settled down in October after ramping up a month earlier, according to Redfin.

John Allison, a contender for President-elect Donald Trump's Treasury secretary, is a staunch opponent of the Federal Reserve Board, the Basel international accords, the government's support of the housing finance industry and the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.

FirstKey Mortgage is marketing its fifth portfolio consisting primarily of formerly troubled first-lien residential mortgages that have rebounded to reperforming status.

With the election of Donald Trump in the U.S. and an increasingly isolationist mood pervading European banking regulators, the international Basel III accords that underpinned much of the global post-crisis regulatory framework face an uncertain future.