Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, has revealed plans to completely shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) within the coming months—an announcement that has sent ripples through the financial services industry and consumer advocacy circles. Vought, a longtime critic of the CFPB, previously led efforts to cut nearly 90% of the agency’s staff and freeze its funding. Now, he has laid out a more definitive objective: to bring the bureau’s operations to a close by 2026.
The Federal Reserve’s move toward ending quantitative tightening (QT)—its large‑scale reduction of Treasury and mortgage‑backed security holdings—is sparking interest in how the housing finance market might respond. According to commentary in the industry, the conclusion of QT could potentially pave the way for lower mortgage rates, though timing and magnitude remain uncertain.
Fannie Mae (FNMA) has captured investor attention with a dramatic stock price surge, climbing over 600% year-over-year. The rally has reignited debate about the company’s true valuation and whether its recent momentum is rooted in fundamentals or speculative optimism.
Fannie Mae’s (FNMA) stock has endured a turbulent stretch, falling nearly 15% over the past month after soaring earlier in the year. While year‑to‑date gains still look strong, the recent pullback has captured investor attention and reignited questions about how the company’s equity should be valued going forward.
The ongoing U.S. government shutdown is casting a shadow over the housing market, particularly in flood-prone areas where federally backed flood insurance is essential for mortgage approvals. Without legislative action to renew funding, thousands of home sales could stall each day, costing the real estate market billions in lost transactions.
Just when we think we have a handle on documentation requirements where mortgage underwriting is concerned, they go and change the rules and further complicate our lives. The past year has found us embracing due diligence in underwriting with all of the gusto we could muster, seriously limiting the use of documentation waivers provided by AUS as well as embracing all of the old school methodology of underwriting and still, beginning June 1, 2010 we will scrutinize our borrowers further.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
In my many years of underwriting, there are always interesting things that require research, further clarification, getting feedback from third party sources or getting “official” answers from the senior level credit policy folks. Today’s blog deals with some of my experiences over the years and what/how I solved situations that needed to be resolved prior to being able to approve a loan.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Lately the news has been filled with images of flood-ravaged areas like Nashville and Kentucky, of tornado damage and destruction in the central plains, and of other natural disaster areas throughout the U.S. Therefore, I thought it appropriate to start coverage on Disaster Policies for the agencies.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
I have had several conversations’ regarding this subject matter and that again being the submission of the perfect test case to HUD. Quite frankly, the mortgage industry as a whole really believes that the only cases that are to be submitted to HUD for test case purposes are perfect, plain vanilla files that require little if any underwriting ability to assess except of course for the one mortgage credit reject that they will consider and this is far from accurate.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
For the first time since 1993, HUD has announced that it’s upping net worth requirements for FHA-approved Mortgagees as part of the risk management initiative; a move to assure that Mortgagees have sufficient capital to withstand today’s market risks.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
The recent blogs I have been writing have been written based on actual things happening on my job as an underwriter for one of the top lenders here on the East Coast (where I live). Nothing really larger than life has been happening this week at the office, so I decided to write about one of my pet peeves on underwriting loans in these most unusual times in our business….so, my dilemma this week is………………….
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Written By: Stacey Sprain
As an FHA originator, processor or underwriter, it’s likely that in the ongoing foreclosure market you’ll run across a HUD REO loan at some point. The purpose of this multi-part article is to provide you with some useful information to help in your endeavors.