Where the U.S. housing market is concerned, Fannie Mae chief economist Doug Duncan said he is anticipating weaker home sales in 2014 than in 2013—but 2015 looks better. Meanwhile, the slowdown in economic growth this year has not dimmed the outlook among Fannie Mae's economists.
Read More »Fed, SEC Approve Finalized QRM Rule
The residential mortgage loan risk retention rule, known as the "qualified residential mortgage" (QRM) rule, was approved on Wednesday by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The agencies are the last of the six groups charged with putting together the finalized rule.
Read More »Rate of Seriously Underwater Homes Drops in Q3
RealtyTrac reported that 8.1 million U.S. homeowners, representing 15 percent of all mortgages in the country, were seriously underwater on their mortgage in Q3, the lowest percentage of underwater mortgages nationwide since RealtyTrac began tracking the data in Q1 2012.
Read More »HUD Secretary Details Agency’s Blueprint for Credit Access
HUD Secretary Julian Castro unveiled in a speech the points of the agency's "Blueprint for Access" meant to ease the risk of lending while expanding credit. "It's in our entire nation's interest to help more responsible Americans succeed in the housing market by expanding access to credit," Castro said.
Read More »FHFA Director Talks Next Steps for Fannie, Freddie
In a speech on Monday, FHFA Director Mel Watt outlined the next steps the agency is taking to expand Americans' access to mortgage credit while ensuring that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are equipped to manage risk.
Read More »Profits Jump 87% at Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley's third quarter 2014 net revenues of $8.9 billion marked an increase from $8.0 billion from the same period a year ago, the investment bank reported in its Q3 2014 earnings statement released on Friday. Morgan Stanley's net income for Q3 2014, including discontinued operations, was reported at $1.7 billion.
Read More »White Paper Explores Mortgage Servicing Challenges
CoreLogic has released its fourth out of a series of four white papers entitled Foundation for a Sound Housing Market addressing the high-level aspects of the challenges today's mortgage servicing sector is facing. Other key issues discussed in the white paper include mortgage servicing models available and the specific risks associated with each one.
Read More »Goldman Sachs Sees Boost in Profits
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. reported a third quarter net revenue of $8.39 billion and net earnings of $2.24 billion, according to the company's Q3 earnings statement released on Thursday.
Read More »Community Banks Continue to Feel Compliance Burden
Community financial institutions are putting more of their resources toward compliance, according to compliance management systems firm Continuity Control. The firm's 2014 Third Quarter Banking Compliance Index revealed that in order to comply with the 82 regulatory changes added in Q3, 653 additional hours were required of the average community bank.
Read More »‘Election Scorecard’ Examines Housing in Hard-Fought Markets
RealtyTrac's election housing scorecard rated 1,547 county housing markets in the U.S. based on five factors that affect the health of housing. A total of 811 U.S. county housing markets (52 percent) were rated as "better off" than they were two years ago, compared to only 11 percent (176 markets) categorized as "worse off."
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