Tag Archives: HUD

HUD is recommending new regulations to force lenders to reimburse the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for insurance claims paid on mortgages that don't meet the agency's underwriting guidelines. The proposed rule would also require all new and existing FHA lenders to meet stricter performance standards to gain and maintain their approval status. FHA, at its own discretion, without any judicial or administrative action necessary, will have the authority to immediately withdraw a lender's ability to insure mortgage loans.

Last Tuesday's conference titled Through the Lens of Housing: New England Economic Recovery hosted by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston yielded some interesting answers from polled attendees. The attendees were asked questions to determine what they felt would help lead to an economic recovery in the New England area.

To help counter the effects of the still-deteriorating job market on the housing industry, the Dodd-Frank Reform Act provided $1 billion to HUD to implement the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program. The initiative provides eligible borrowers in 32 states and Puerto Rico with a ""bridge loan"" to continue making their mortgage payments for up to 24 months. HUD expects to begin taking applications from borrowers for assistance by the end of the year.

The New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal on Wednesday awarded $848,384 to the Center for New York City Neighborhoods (CNYCN) and the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment (DCA's OFE). The money has been allotted to provide free financial counseling and to expand CNYCN's call center operations for at risk homeowners, which takes calls from New York City's general information line.

Wolters Kluwer Financial Services will begin providing customizable mortgage application and processing kits to lenders. The two kits, which are available in English and Spanish, are designed to educate borrowers on the mortgage process, helping them improve their financial literacy. The company says the kits can also assist lenders in expediting the application process to close more loans, ensuring disclosures are compliant and provided to borrowers as required, and making sure marketing activities are consistent across branches.

HUD has announced the availability of more than $5.1 million in grants for housing counseling training. HUD plans to fund eligible organizations to deliver full-spectrum training as part of the Obama administration's efforts to provide housing counseling to the nation's homeowners, buyers, and renters. The agency says right now, these counseling programs are critical to helping thousands of families avoid foreclosure, and it has increased the funding for such services by 36 percent in this year's HUD budget.

Warren, Michigan-based Five Brothers, a nationwide provider of commercial and residential mortgage default management solutions, announced the release of its ClaimSys HUD claims processing system this week. ClaimSys acts as an enhancement to existing claims processing programs and expedites Federal Housing Administration (FHA) claims by allowing users to generate completed HUD claims A through E quickly and efficiently, according to the company.

According to the national nonprofit Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF), economists estimate that close to 4 million homeowners will face delinquency in the near future. In an effort to help thwart this assessment, HPF works to provide information and financial education to guide consumers toward sustainable homeownership. The foundation reports that its Homeowner's HOPE Hotline has aided more than 4 million distressed homeowners since the financial crisis began in 2008.

The administration released new data on the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) Wednesday. Just over 33,000 homeowners received a permanent HAMP mod in August. That's 27 percent below the number of permanent conversions the month before. So far, about 468,000 permanent modifications have been granted to distressed homeowners under the federal program. The latest report also included the results of servicer compliance reviews conducted by Freddie Mac.

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.