First-time homebuyers accounted for over half of the purchase-money mortgages securitized by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae during the second quarter of 2018, according to a new analysis of mortgage-backed securities data by Inside Mortgage Finance. [Includes four data charts.]
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Mortgage lenders that rely on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for liquidity have a simple message for policymakers in Washington regarding what to do about the government-sponsored enterprises: Leave them alone. The two are working just fine.
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Two federal government agencies have reopened the debate over the use of a disparate-impact analysis to show discrimination against protected classes. It’s unclear how much the agencies can do in reworking their regulations, or how aggressive they will be in taking up cases based on the theory.
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The Urban Institute advocates dropping the debt-to-income cap for qualified mortgages to level the playing field between the government-sponsored enterprises and the private market.
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Almost 30 housing and mortgage-related organizations midweek issued an open letter to the White House and Congress, asking that policymakers make permanent several changes to operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, fearing that the “stability” of the U.S. housing market is “illusory.”
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Industry participants and the Treasury Department want the Federal Communications Commission to change its rules to help servicers communicate with borrowers without the threat of costly fines.
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Self-employed borrowers that can’t qualify for non-agency qualified mortgages could see relief from a bill introduced in the Senate last week.
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Any changes to the Community Reinvestment Act should strengthen – not weaken – banks’ obligations to meet the needs of minority and low-income communities and expand access to mortgage credit in historically redlined areas, said civil rights and consumer advocacy groups.
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