Government

The Community Mortgage Lenders of America (CMLA) released a white paper outlining its policy suggestions for the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Shrinking the GSEs role in the secondary market to 30-35 percent and preventing them from securitizing or investing into risky mortgages were among the ideas the trade group endorses. Still, the CMLA said it wants to see the GSEs remain intact due to uncertainty in the markets and to ensure further destabilization does not occur.

Settlement monitor Joseph Smith announced a partnership Monday to work with BDO Consulting as the primary professional firm. BDO, a division of BDO USA, LLP, will join Smith and his team for three and a half years to oversee the implementation of the settlement involving 49 states, state and federal officials, and the five largest banks - Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, and Ally.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the FDIC, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today released a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to clarify how they will coordinate their supervisory activities.

GFI Mortgage Bankers filed a motion Friday to dismiss a suit from the Department of Justice that alleged discrimination in GFI's lending practices. GFI's motion asserts that the disparate impact discrimination statutes cited by DOJ in its suit-the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA)-do not contain language that permits anti-discrimination claims. The company also argues that the practice of allowing employees discretion when pricing loans is standard policy and widely accepted in the industry.

According to the GSE's monthly summary, its gross mortgage balance fell with a decrease in sales and purchases. The 13.8 percent shrinkage rate was greater than March's 7.3 percent and the highest since January, when it was 14.3 percent. The negative growth rate year-to-date in April was 10.3 percent.These falling values led to shrinkage in Fannie Mae's Book of Business, with an annualized rate decrease of 8 percent for April. This was a marked fall from March's positive 9.3 percent growth and brings the year-to-date rate growth to negative 0.3 percent.

The number of loans refinanced through HARP in the first quarter of 2012 was nearly double the number of refinances in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) March 2012 Refinance Report. The report showed that 180,185 loans were refinanced through HARP during the year's first quarter, nearly twice the 93,190 refinances in the previous quarter. The month of March alone saw 79,470 loans refinanced with HARP, and nearly one in seven loan refinances in the quarter were done through program. The FHFA attributed most of this increase to the launch of HARP 2.0, an enhanced version of the program that eliminated loan-to-value (LTV) ceilings for borrowers.

Following dismal reports on employment, it might be time to give pause to assumptions that a housing recovery is here or soon to arrive. The Bureau of Labor statistics reported Friday that only 69,000 jobs were added in May, the slowest growth seen in a year. Economists said the patterns in the employment situation seen this year echo the previous year when it seemed the economy was gaining its strength back, only to falter.

Attorney General Kamala Harris' Homeowner Bill of Rights continues to work through the California Legislature as two more bills pass, the Office of the Attorney General announced Thursday. AB 2610 and SB 1473 will require buyers of foreclosed homes to allow tenants at least 90 days before starting eviction proceedings. Under the bills, if the tenant has a fixed-term lease, the new owner must honor it unless they can demonstrate that certain exceptions apply. The bills are intended to correct incongruities within California law and between state and federal law.

Edward J. DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), announced Thursday the appointment of Wanda I. DeLeo as Deputy Director leading the newly created Office of Strategic Initiatives. DeLeo has served in several leadership roles at FHFA, including her most recent stint as Deputy Director for the agency's Division of Examination Programs and Support.

Consumer spending grew just 0.3 percent in April, up slightly from 0.2 percent in March, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Friday. Economists had expected spending to be up 0.3 percent. At the same time, personal income grew 0.2 percent in April, BEA said, compared with market expectations of a 0.