A proposal allowing more lenders to skip outside appraisals could remove a hurdle to quick closings, but appraisers say they could be collateral damage.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 analysts.