The debate over whether to exempt certain mortgages from “risk-retention” rules in the financial-regulatory overhaul bill could become a case-study in the unintended consequences of lawmaking. (Read “Mortgage Players Look to Soften Bill“) Both the House and Senate bills included risk-retention provisions that require mortgage originators to retain 5% of any loans that are bundled [...]

Donovan made the comments as the Obama administration introduced a new “scorecard” to assess the government’s efforts to stabilize the housing market. Donovan said the market is in a “fragile” recovery and “significantly better” than predicted a year ago. “We still may see further declines,” he cautioned. Delinquencies on FHA-backed loans rose slightly to 12.4 [...]

THE FEDERAL Housing Administration has been busy lately, propping up the housing market. The FHA’s outsized role in real estate has earned it intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where legislators are already choking on the staggering tab Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are sticking them with. To its credit, the agency is moving decisively to [...]

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury today introduced a monthly scorecard on the nation’s housing market. Each month, the scorecard will incorporate key housing market indicators and highlight the impact of the Administration’s unprecedented housing recovery efforts, including assistance to homeowners through the Federal Housing [...]

The Federal Housing Administration reform bill overwhelmingly approved in the U.S. House of Representatives last Thursday will strengthen the housing finance agency, but will likely prove to be mixed blessing for homebuyers. The legislation, passed by a vote of 406 to 4, would raise fees for borrowers, give the FHA the power to oust lenders [...]

During the long years of the financial crisis, the American economy has been like a retelling of the Somerset Maugham story “Appointment in Samarra,” in which a man unsuccessfully runs from city to city in attempts to avoid a run-in with Death — who, of course, is one step ahead of him. Similarly, investors have [...]

In an effort to better serve the American people, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has embraced social media and streamlined its Web site contact tools to facilitate open communication and total transparency. “When you are seeking information, nothing is more frustrating than not being able to contact someone who can help [...]

NEWPORT, R.I., Jun 10, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Embrace Home Loans, a prominent leader in the mortgage industry and a direct lender for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, approved by FHA and VA, and an issuer for Ginnie Mae, officially opened a retail branch in the Orlando, Fla. area. The branch is located at 485 [...]

In today’s WSJ we look at how, in a surprising development, mortgage defaults have fallen for three straight months at the Federal Housing Administration. If that trend holds, the agency could avoid burning through its cash reserves, which are estimated to fall sharply over the coming years. Still, the FHA’s commissioner, David Stevens, says “there’s [...]

For the first time in its history, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will require grant applicants seeking HUD funding to comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Today, HUD published a notice detailing the general requirements that will apply to all of [...]