Government

The National Association of Federal Credit Unions expressed its opposition to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed rule on mortgage application and settlement disclosures. The association asserted Tuesday in a letter to the federal agency that the rule places undue regulatory burdens on credit unions and will likely cause some institutions to leave the mortgage market altogether.

Fannie Mae has experienced significant improvements in recent months. The GSE reported a $1.8 billion net income for the third quarter of this year, a notable improvement over the $5.1 billion loss reported in the same quarter last year. Fannie Mae's third quarter report states the entity will not require a draw from Treasury this quarter. Fannie Mae also incurred a net income of $9.7 billion over the first three quarters of this year, leading the GSE to expect an annual net income for the first time since 2006.

Even though President Obama and Governor Romney were criticized for evading housing issues when running for president, Clear Capital asserts the ""sprint"" in housing still spoke positively for Obama and assisted him in his recent re-election. But, now that Obama has won a second term, his administration is charged with leading phase two of the housing recovery, and this will happen by collaborating with the industry to reduce regulatory uncertainty, according to a Clear Capital report.

It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks for Americans, but mortgage rates have been rock-steady. Freddie Mac reported mixed rate movements for the week ending November 8, but any budges made were small. The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) for the week was 3.40 percent (0.7 point), up slightly from 3.39 percent in the previous week's survey. The 15-year fixed average fell, meanwhile, dropping to 2.69 percent (0.7 point) from 2.70 percent previously.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell 8,000 to 363,000 for the week ending November 3, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists expected 370,000 initial claim filings. It was the third straight weekly decline and the fifth drop in the last seven weeks.

Government agencies are continuing their regulatory investigation of mortgage activities at Wells Fargo and Wachovia, according to a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Wells Fargo absorbed Wachovia in 2008 when Wachovia's shaky mortgage portfolio threatened the bank's soundness.

The vast majority of homeowners who refinanced in Q3 2012 either maintained or slashed their loan debt, according to a release from Freddie Mac. In the year's third quarter, 83 percent of homeowners who refinanced their first-lien home mortgage either kept the same loan amount or lowered their principal balance by paying-in additional money at the closing table, the GSE revealed. Of those borrowers, 54 percent maintained about the same loan amount, while 29 percent reduced their principal balance.

The positive outlook on home prices was further strengthened in Fannie Mae's most recent housing survey. In the October survey, respondents raised their expectation for home price growth in the next 12 months to 1.7 percent, up from 1.5 percent in September. In October 2011, consumers expected prices to fall by 0.3 percent. In addition, only 10 percent of respondents expect home prices to drop during the same one-year period.

The number of housing markets across the country showing lasting improvement expanded by leaps and bounds in November, according to a report from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The Improving Markets Index (IMI), put together monthly by NAHB and First American, showed 125 markets demonstrating consistent improvement, up from the previous record high of 103 in October.

A U.S. district judge squashed an attempt by JPMorgan Chase to fully dismiss a lawsuit from the Federal Housing Finance Agency over alleged fraud over mortgage-backed securities. In its motion to dismiss, JPMorgan argues that FHFA's complaint does not contain enough factual support that loans were not underwritten properly. Judge Denise Cote disagreed, saying the allegations ""amply support FHFA's assertion that the Offering Documents for the Securitizations contained false statements regarding originators' compliance with underwriting standards.""