The VA Home Loan Guaranty Service is revisiting agency rules on allowable fees and charges veterans pay to obtain a VA loan for possible changes. VA is seeking comments on a proposed rule that would ease current restrictions to put borrowers in a better position to bargain during negotiations for a home purchase. While the current rule continues to protect veterans from incurring unreasonable closing costs as originally intended, some veterans and their representatives have complained that the restrictions weaken their ability to negotiate with sellers and lenders. Compared with a conventional purchase-loan transaction, sellers and lenders find it more difficult to deal with a borrower with a VA loan because they end up bearing many of the customary fees and charges, the VA explained. “The restrictions on fees and charges puts borrowers at a bargaining disadvantage against ...

The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued guidance regarding documentation of allowable fees and charges under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Truth in Lending Act-Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Integrated Disclosure Closing Disclosure, or TRID-CD form. Under the guidance, VA lenders must document all allowable fees and charges assessed against the borrower as well as any lender and seller credits on the TRID-CD. VA now requires documentation because it no longer accepts a separate, itemized list of credits and charges, as previously allowed with the HUD-1 form. In completing the closing-cost section of the TRID-CD, fees charged to the veteran must be listed in the “Borrower Paid” column. Lender credits should be listed in the “Paid by Others” column, the agency said. Closing costs that are paid for by either the seller or the lender must be placed in either the ...

The most common motivation for borrowers (and nonborrowers) in opting for a reverse mortgage was “to gain extra income for everyday expenses” and “paying off mortgage debt,” according to an Ohio State University study on reverse mortgage motivations and outcomes. Published in the latest issue of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, the study said both motivations reflect previous findings that reverse mortgage borrowers are likely to be “house rich” and cash poor.” The study used survey information collected as part of the Aging in Place (AIP) study, which looked at borrower motivations for seeking a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage as well as reasons for not getting one. The primary data set consisted of 1,761 senior households that received counseling for a HECM loan between 2006 and 2011 and responded to the ...

The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued new guidelines and instructions for modifying VA-guaranteed mortgages in lieu of previous guidance regarding the agency’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). VA has a long-standing policy of encouraging servicers to work with borrowers to explore all reasonable options to help them keep their home or reduce losses through loss mitigation. The agency requires lenders to consider VA-guaranteed loans for a VA Affordable modification (VAAM) when traditional home-retention options are not feasible. A VAAM allows a new monthly, fixed-rate mortgage payment no greater than 31 percent of the borrower’s monthly gross income. It can cover principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and condominium or homeowner association fees The rate must not exceed the most recent Freddie Mac benchmark rate for ...

As of press time, Congress passed a one-week stopgap spending measure to keep the government open through May 5, averting a looming government shutdown. The House passed H.J. Res. 99 by a vote of 373 to 30. The continuing resolution has been sent to President Trump. The continuing resolution provides lawmakers sufficient time to negotiate an omnibus spending bill. The previous spending bill was scheduled to expire at midnight, April 28, which would have resulted in a government shutdown similar to the one that paralyzed the federal government in 2013. A shutdown can cause grief for sellers and homebuyers and severely delay processing of mortgage loans if lenders cannot verify a borrower’s tax data or Social Security number. This time, however, the FHA and VA are prepared for such an eventuality, said industry observers. A 16-day government shutdown in October 2013 sent millions of ...

Millions of disabled post-9/11 veterans may qualify for a VA-guaranteed home mortgage but the majority are not taking advantage of the program, according to a new report from American Financing. The VA loan is great for injured veterans exiting the military but many are either unaware or uninformed, said Greg Vogel, manager of American Financing in Aurora, CO. Active-duty servicemembers and retired military are entitled to VA housing benefits, including an agency guarantee on their mortgage in lieu of mortgage insurance and no downpayment. A first-time VA borrower pays a 2.15 percent funding fee. Borrowers with a service-connected disability are exempt from paying the fee. “You would expect many of our injured warriors would take advantage of this great loan but that’s not what the numbers indicate,” said Vogel, who left the Army as a disabled vet Tim Byers, a mortgage analyst at ...

President Trump Friday morning signaled his intent to nominate former regulator Pamela Patenaude to be the next deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to a bio listed on the White House website, Patenaude is president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families. She also served as HUD assistant secretary for community, planning and development during the George W. Bush administration. Patenaude’ s nomination had been expected for some time. She is expected to play a key role in shaping housing policy in the new administration and brings to the table a depth of knowledge about the industry. HUD Secretary Ben Carson was a career brain surgeon with little in the way of housing and mortgage experience. Meanwhile, industry lobbyists contend the White House continues to vet candidates for two other ...

Production of new first-lien home mortgages fizzled in the first quarter of 2017 as the bottom fell out of the refinance market and home sales slumbered, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. An estimated $385.0 billion of new first-lien mortgages were originated in the first three months of the year, a 33.6 percent downturn from the fourth quarter of 2016. It likely did not mark the end of the world, however. For starters, the fourth quarter of last year surprised on the upside – at $580.0 billion, it was the second-highest quarterly volume in the previous four years. And the start of 2017 was...[Includes two data tables]

The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking comment on a proposal to ease restrictions on the allowable fees and charges military veterans may pay to obtain a VA home loan – a change that could make VA-backed financing more competitive in home purchases. The VA Loan Guaranty Service wants to hear from stakeholders as to how the agency can protect veterans from incurring excessive closing costs without being overly restrictive. Specifically, the VA is considering ways to revise the list of acceptable fees and charges that are impeding VA borrowers’ ability to compete against bidders using other home-purchase financing options that are not restricted by law or regulation. The VA rule on fees and charges has...

A significant drop in the VA refinance market in the first quarter is proof that Ginnie Mae’s anti-churning policy has been effective in curbing serial refinancing of VA loans, according to agency officials at the recent VA Lenders Conference in Kansas City, MO. A hefty 42.7 percent decline in VA refi volume during the first three months of 2017 reflects an apparently successful effort by Ginnie to stop the practice of refinancing VA loans within six months of closing. By comparison, securitization of VA purchase loans fell 17.3 percent from the fourth quarter. John Getchis, senior vice president at Ginnie, said...