Risk management

Suffolk Bancorp in New York, which recently agreed to sell to People's United Financial, discouraged several suitors from bidding due to concerns about concentrations of commercial real estate loans at those banks. The disclosures highlight the challenges that banks with heavy CRE exposure could face — as buyers or sellers — if they want to do deals.

As if high default costs haven't been challenging enough for mortgage servicers, a growing number of seriously delinquent loans are Federal Housing Administration products, which require significant upfront investment to resolve.

The Democratic and Republican platforms adopted at this year's party conventions take a more forward-looking approach to housing issues than they did four years ago. But they have distinctly different views on the government's role in maintaining a robust mortgage industry.

Democrats will adopt a party platform this week that omits most references to a need for continued post-housing crisis reforms, and instead focuses on expanding access to mortgage credit and support for industry regulation.

A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court decision that dismissed a lawsuit against Freddie Mac brought by a state pension fund.

Fannie Mae has priced its Connecticut Avenue Securities, the series 2016-C04, at tighter spreads to its previous deal, completed in April.

A private flood insurance bill passed by the House is making Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac uneasy because they fear it could lead to greater losses, according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office.

Uncertainty about what constitutes a TRID error has had a direct impact on independent mortgage bankers. But some warehouse lenders that provide those originators with interim funding have also been affected by the liquidity concern, taking on increased risk exposure.

Upcoming risk retention requirements may be the proverbial straw that breaks the back of the commercial mortgage-backed securities market.

When Congress lifted the conforming loan limit in certain high-cost housing markets, it provided some much-needed liquidity for homebuyers.