Government

The Mortgage Bankers Association and six other industry groups sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Monday, voicing their concern that the Fed, which has jurisdiction over the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and HUD, which oversees the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), will create regulatory rules that overlap. The Dodd-Frank Act created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which will be overseen by yet another agency, the Treasury, and will have regulatory authority over consumer disclosures.

The Federal Reserve says both large and small banks are beginning to ease back on their credit requirements for ""some categories of loans"" to households and businesses. However, standards continue to tighten on prime mortgages and home-equity loans, particularly at smaller institutions. According to the Federal Reserve's study, consumer demand for residential mortgages decreased during the three months ending in October compared to earlier survey periods, with the falloff again most evident at smaller banks.

The nation's largest mortgage financier reported a smaller loss during the third quarter than it did in the second, with the latest figures representing a $17 billion improvement over financial results from a year earlier. Fannie Mae says, though, that it needs another $2.5 billion from taxpayers to cover its net worth deficit. The GSE also reported that home retention actions were down 14 percent in Q3, while home repossessions rose by nearly 24 percent. As of September 30, Fannie Mae's inventory of single-family REO properties stood at 166,787.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured 1.74 million single-family mortgages during fiscal year 2010, which for the agency ended in September. The collective value of the loans endorsed was $318.8 billion. FHA's loan volume for the year was down 10.3 percent from 2009, and came in below the 1.87 million mortgages it had previously projected would be endorsed in the 2010 fiscal year. The agency's serious delinquency rate stood at 8.4 percent at year-end. At the same time in 2009, the rate was 8.3 percent.

The turbulent financial crisis sparked overwhelming support by Americans for Congress to enact financial legislation to prevent future bailouts. But according to the findings of an academia study, the landmark Dodd-Frank Act failed to meet consumer expectations. Only 12 percent of survey respondents declared they were satisfied with the reform bill, while 54 percent of Americans were dissatisfied. Sentiment about real estate pricing and strategic defaults were also examined in the quarterly study.

Mortgage originators can now authorize a credit report to be processed through the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry (NMLS). Beginning November 1, all licensed residential mortgage loan originators participating in NMLS were required to complete the credit authorization process regardless of any prior state requirements. Providing credit history processing through NMLS fulfills one of the mandates of the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act (SAFE Act).

The Federal Reserve decided Wednesday to pump another $600 billion into the economy in the hopes of bolstering what it called a ""disappointingly slow"" recovery. The capital injection will come in the form of purchases of long-term Treasury securities by the central bank, about $75 billion a month between now and the end of June 2011. The goal is to buoy economic growth by inducing banks to lend more while keeping interest rates low. If it plays out correctly, the move is expected to spur spending, foster job creation, and keep deflation in check.

Freddie Mac said Wednesday that it lost $2.5 billion during the third quarter of this year. Add to that the $1.6 billion dividend payment the GSE had to make to Treasury on stock the company relinquished in exchange for bailout money, and Freddie Mac reported a net loss attributable to common shareholders of $4.1 billion. The company is asking Treasury for a draw of $100 million in taxpayer dollars. Since Freddie Mac was placed under government control, it has needed $64.2 billion to stay afloat.

Buyers of REO homes owned by HUD may have their closing dates pushed back after this Friday, but the federal agency says any delays will be brief. Rumors have circulated from various corners of the industry that HUD is planning a moratorium on REO sales expected to close after the end of this week, but a spokesperson for the government agency stressed to DSNews.com, ""HUD is not suspending sales of HUD REO properties on November 5th or any other time. HUD's new asset managers will continue to list and sell HUD homes.""

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is putting mortgage lenders on alert regarding disclosures about potential losses from foreclosure paperwork defects and loans they may be forced to buy back from investors. In a letter sent to the chief financial officers of publicly traded banking companies, the federal agency reminded lenders that they are obligated to relay to their investors any known trends, commitments or uncertainties that they expect could have an ""unfavorable impact"" on the company's financial results.