Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner David H. Stevens, in his latest conference call, discussed the FHA’s Final Rule, “Federal Housing Administration: Continuation of FHA Reform—Strengthening Risk Management through Responsible FHA-Approved Lenders,” among other things. The following is FHA Commissioner Stevens’ comments: In April of this year, FHA issued a Final Rule, “Federal Housing Administration: Continuation of [...]

All loan modification lenders have expressed gratitude and even praised FHA’s home foreclosure prevention scheme. However, most creditors have expressed reservations for implementing the FHA loan modification program considering the loss it could cause to the investors in the event of appreciation of home prices in the near future. Instead lenders are contemplating optional refinance [...]

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is launching multiple investigations into the practices of certain mortgage lenders to determine if their home loan policies illegally deny qualified African American and Latino borrowers access to credit. The investigations are in response to 22 complaints the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) [...]

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is launching multiple investigations into the practices of certain mortgage lenders to determine if their home loan policies illegally deny qualified African American and Latino borrowers access to credit. The investigations are in response to 22 complaints the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) [...]

There are reports concerning reductions in mortgage balances from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could give more opportunities for homeowners who are having difficulty making their monthly mortgage payment obligation. Underwater home loans have been a problem for numerous individuals across the nation, and discussions between the government and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac officials [...]

The administration has quietly shifted most federal high-risk mortgage initiatives to the government’s original subprime lender. It is hard to believe, but it looks like the government will soon use the taxpayers’ checkbook again to create a vast market for mortgages with low or no down payments and for overstretched borrowers with blemished credit. As [...]

Fannie Mae announced some changes to their loan guidelines. Some of the changes make it easier to get that home loan you’re looking for, while other make it tougher. A word of warning here – the changes are Fannie guideline changes only. They do not reflect the so called “investor overlays” that are tougher than [...]

Federal Housing Administration Commissioner David Stevens said early indications of a review into mortgage servicer operations has shown they are not meeting the loss mitigation needs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Stevens testified before the House Financial Services Committee Thursday on the recent foreclosure issues that have surfaced in many banks. Lenders such [...]

Federal Housing Administration Commissioner David Stevens said early indications of a review into mortgage servicer operations has shown they are not meeting the loss mitigation needs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Stevens testified before the House Financial Services Committee Thursday on the recent foreclosure issues that have surfaced in many banks. Lenders such [...]

Home ownership may be falling out of reach for more Americans as lenders toughen their standards for Federal Housing Administration-insured loans beyond what the agency itself requires. Mortgage lenders including Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp., the two largest, have raised the minimum credit score on FHA-insured loans that they will buy to [...]