News Topic: Housing

The current deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Pam Patenaude, will step down in January. ... Read full article

Under the Federal Housing Finance Agency's plan, small Home Loan banks would face a new housing benchmark and a volume threshold for meeting the goals would be eliminated. ... Read full article

Home prices rose 6.2% on an annual basis in June, not seasonally adjusted, down from a 6.4% gain in May. ... Read full article

The retailer is ending its nearly two-decade credit card relationship with Synchrony Financial; Mulvaney says the bureau will first negotiate, not sue, to settle disputes. ... Read full article

The banking industry lost a key battle in the Supreme Court over the use of “disparate impact,” but legal observers see potential for the tide to turn if Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed. ... Read full article

Montgomery was confirmed by the Senate 74-23 to serve his second stint at the FHA, where he previously was commissioner during the George W. Bush administration. ... Read full article

Supporters of an unreleased bill to revamp the housing finance system say the plan strikes a middle ground that can gain support from both sides of the aisle. ... Read full article

Craig Phillips, a top aide to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, said his department "broadly" agrees with the FHFA plan, which would return Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private market and provide them an explicit government guarantee. ... Read full article

A House Republican tax proposal that infuriated housing groups and sent homebuilder stocks sliding would only have a modest impact on the market for new homes and could end up being a net positive for the industry, according to Keefe, Bruyette & Woods ... Read full article

Hopes that tax reform might soften a weakening of the mortgage interest deduction were quickly dashed as the GOP plan landed a double punch on the incentive cherished by the mortgage and housing industries. ... Read full article

Some housing groups are warming to an idea that they say could help more Americans benefit from housing-related subsidies than the mortgage interest deduction. ... Read full article

As was expected, President Trump has nominated Brian Montgomery to serve as the commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration. ... Read full article

New data shows that large commercial banks are increasing their originations of single-family construction loans, but these loans still represent a small percentage of their total assets. ... Read full article

With traditional mortgage lending opportunities becoming increasingly scarce, banks in Seattle and Portland are loading up on jumbos, diving into multifamily and reviving dormant bridge loan programs. ... Read full article

FHFA Director Mel Watt warned Thursday that to prevent a potential draw on the Treasury Department by the government-sponsored enterprises, he is willing to act unilaterally to rebuild capital at Fannie and Freddie. ... Read full article

Implementation of the second phase of the common securitization platform had been projected for next year, but the anticipated time frame was delayed following "lessons learned" from the first phase. ... Read full article

The groups and industry trade associations want the Treasury Department and the FHFA to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to build up capital reserves. ... Read full article

Rising interest rates have slowed a recent run of unexpectedly high prepayments of government-insured mortgages, making servicing rights for loans held in Ginnie Mae securities more attractive to investors. ... Read full article