Government

Distressed homeowners looking for a way out of their mortgage that doesn't involve foreclosure may find relief is on the way from a new bill introduced in the U.S. House. Lenders have taken a lot of heat for elongated short sale timelines, with stories coming in from the field that potential buyers have walked away because they can't get an approval on a short sale price. The legislation would impose a deadline on lenders to respond to short sale requests, requiring them to return an answer within 45 days.

Fannie Mae says it is working with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to develop and adopt new appraiser independence requirements that will replace the controversial Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) enacted by the GSEs in May of last year. Until the revised requirements are released, the existing HVCC provisions are still in effect. Fannie Mae says it expects the new appraisal rules to be issued by October 21, but that they will be ""substantially similar"" to HVCC.

The big news coming out of Washington today -- President Obama will hold a special press briefing Friday to name Elizabeth Warren to set up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. She won't be nominated to fill the role of the bureau's chief, as has been widely expected, at least not yet. Instead, she'll be appointed assistant to the president and special advisor to the secretary of the Treasury. She'll head a steering committee responsible for getting the new agency, which will oversee mortgage lending, up and running.

Mortgage insurer Genworth Financial saved almost $4.8 billion in mortgages from foreclosure in the 12 months ending June 30, 2010. These statistics represent a nearly 80 percent increase from the same period last year. More than half of total mortgage dollars saved were the result of the administration's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Genworth reports that it completed more than 30,000 mortgage workouts nationwide during the period via its homeowner assistance program.

Freddie Mac said Wednesday that it is expanding its First Look Initiative to allow any home shopper to buy a HomeSteps REO home as their primary residence during the first 15 days of the property's listing, without competition from investors. The new policy takes effect Friday, September 17. In addition to owner-occupant buyers, Freddie Mac's First Look window is open to buyers who are part of HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program, as well as groups affiliated with the National Community Stabilization Trust.

HUD's inspector general, the Hon. Kenneth M. Donohue, is leaving his post in October to join Reznick Group, a top 20 national CPA firm headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Donohue has accepted the position of principal in the firm's government services group, where he will focus on compliance, fraud and abuse, and prevention and protection of internal controls on behalf of the firm's federal, state, and local government clients.

HUD released a new survey of New Orleans area housing conditions this week. The agency says its the most comprehensive analysis of the metro's housing stock since the department's last assessment in 2004 (prior to Hurricane Katrina). In the five years since Hurricane Katrina struck the area, the New Orleans metro lost 75,000 housing units, nearly 13 percent of its housing stock, and the median monthly cost of housing rose by nearly 33 percent from $662 in 2004 to $882 in 2009.

The government has shifted its resources from civil to criminal mortgage-related cases in recent months. As a result, an industry index that tracks mortgage litigation lawsuits has dropped by more than half. Active cases totaled 75 in the second quarter, according to the report released this week. Activity tumbled 52 percent from the first quarter and was 40 percent lower than a year ago, as the U.S. Department of Justice executed its nationwide crackdown on mortgage fraud, dubbed Operation Stolen Dreams.

The debate over what's next for the government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has begun. Last month, the Treasury invited a wide range of industry stakeholders to a summit in Washington to provide some guidance on the administration's proposal for GSE reform. The general consensus there was that the GSEs play too big a role in the housing market to make an abrupt exodus. A large group of House Republicans, though, don't share that view.

Fannie Mae recently issued a new servicing guide regarding pre-foreclosure mediation for mortgage loans in Florida. Last December, the Florida Supreme Court issued an administrative order requiring mediation sessions before a summary judgment or foreclosure sale can be held. In adherence to this mandate, Fannie Mae will now require that servicers assign delinquent mortgage loans secured by properties in Florida to an attorney from Fannie Mae's retained network for mediation prior to the initiation of foreclosure proceedings.