News

With thousands of down payment assistance programs out there, what assistance is being given out to veterans? A recent report highlights the most important of these programs available to military and veterans. On top of VA loans, veterans can expect to cut down their down payment entirely with these programs.

With inventory dropping, including the distressed sale inventory, investors are moving to built-for-rent sales. A recent report noted that more and more investors are building rental homes themselves to make up for the gaps. Putting the blame on tight mortgage standards and rising prices, many younger buyers are holding off on buying a home, and investors are cashing in on the desire for detached-homes without the down payment.

Former senior loan officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co. admitted to a $33 million mortgage fraud scheme recently. A Florida federal judge accepted the plea and set the sentencing date for August 17. In exchange for shorter sentencing and other charges to be dropped, the $33 million will be paid in restitution.

After undergoing an extensive testing process, a mortgage document preparation vendor announced its Uniform Closing Dataset XML file has been certified by the GSEs. This new way of submitting documents will be required by Fannie and Freddie starting in the fall for all lenders selling to them. The company trusts this will bring consistency, transparency and clarity to the mortgage industry.

On Wednesday, at 9 a.m. EST, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will release its House Price Index (HPI) for March. The Index covers single-family housing, using data provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Previously, the FHFA reported in its February HPI that home prices rose 0.8 percent month-over-month. In the report, January’s former unchanged index was revised to a 0.2 percent increase.

Credit risk transfer (CRT) or sharing is the process in which the government-sponsored enterprises bundle up the mortgages they buy from lenders and sell a portion of the risk to private investors. Instead of the GSEs shouldering the loan risk alone, selected investors help offset any potential risk from loan defaults. CRT began as a test in 2012 and is now quickly ramping up as investor interest and governmental oversight grows. Governmental oversight makes sense—we don’t want another 2007. But why are more investors becoming so interested in CRT?

Many young homebuyers are more focused on personal achievements, such as dream jobs and travelling, than “traditional,” long term life milestones, such as marriage and parenthood. Shifting priorities along with high down payments and the amount of time required to save for these payments are among the reasons why millennials aren't quite settling yet.

Immigration has a positive effect on the housing market according to speakers from a real estate conference reported on Friday. Sales activity and price will strengthen as the market becomes more saturated. Forecasts show that high immigrant sales activities will stem from five states.

A national study has suggested the current White House plan for tax reform will increase taxes for middle-class homeowners. Families with adjusted gross incomes between $50,000 to $200,000 could see an average annual increase of $815 on their federal income taxes. As federal tax deductions are one of the main incentives for homeownership, it is imperative for organizations in the industry to remain vigilant in working with Congress to draft tax reform that promotes owning a home.

On Wednesday, in response to recent Ransomware attacks across over 150 countries around the world including the publicized DocuSign, Fitch Ratings issued a press release reminding information technology (IT) companies in the mortgage finance industry the importance of remaining vigilant in the ever-present need for regular security testing. While it reports no operations have been effected, it stresses the need for continued and constant upgrades to both software and hardware.