Government

The U.S. Senate approved a bill this week that will give federal investigators new resources and additional funding to combat mortgage crimes and housing scams. According to officials, an estimated 5,000 new mortgage fraud cases are reported every month.

Green Tree Servicing LLC, of St. Paul, Minnesota, has joined the growing list of mortgage companies officially under contract to provide federal loan modifications through the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program.

The May 1 deadline for the new Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) is rapidly approaching. Beginning Friday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will refuse to purchase mortgages that do not comply with the HVCC regulations for property appraisals.

The Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it has received more than 100 applications from companies interested in serving as fund managers for the legacy securities portion of its Public Private Investment Program (PPIP).

The new Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) for loans sold to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to take effect in less than one week, on May 1, 2009. But according to Lansdale, Pennsylvania-based Global DMS, which has provided appraisal management solutions to the mortgage industry for the past 10 years, many lenders are still not prepared to comply.

The U.S. Treasury announced details on Tuesday of new efforts to help bring relief to responsible homeowners under the Making Home Affordable Program. The new program components include an initiative that specifically addresses modifications on second lien mortgages and a set of measures intended to provide assistance to those borrowers who are underwater – meaning the value of their home is less than the outstanding balance owed on their mortgage.

National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Charles McMillan is calling for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to delay the new Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), which is scheduled to take effect May 1, 2009.

Following the apparent suicide of Freddie Mac’s acting CFO David Kellermann on Wednesday, the GSE’s former CEO David Moffett, who resigned from his post in March, has agreed to temporarily return to the company as a consultant to interim CEO John Koskinen.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced last week that it has selected three firms to manage its portfolio of assets issued by banks and other institutions participating in the Capital Purchase Program (CPP).

The U.S. Treasury Department has released the names of four more servicers who have officially signed on to participate in the administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program. Joining the list of participants is Wilshire Credit Corporation, Pittsburgh’s Home Loan Services, Countrywide Home Loans, and Bank of America.