Daily Dose

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently announced in a news release that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will issue new operational and financial eligibility requirements for all current and potential single-family mortgage sellers and servicers.

Moody’s Investors Service released a report called, “New TILA-RESPA Rule Will Heighten Possibility of Losses in US RMBS for Rule Violations” revealing that initial challenges for lenders to implement and comply with the new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule, along with the potential high costs of lenders who do not comply, raise the risk of losses for residential mortgage-backed security (RMBS) trusts.

Auction.com, LLC, recently released its Retail Market Outlook, which offers analysis on market metrics, provided vacancy and rent projections, and reveals the top markets in which to buy and sell retail assets in 2015.

In a combined session of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the manager of the System Open Market Account (SOMA), a meeting was held today to discuss domestic and foreign financial market developments and the Federal Reserve’s Balance Sheet.

An initial public offering (IPO) of 18 million shares of Class A common stock from Black Knight Financial Services, a Jacksonville, Florida-based technology, data and analytics solutions provider for the mortgage industry, debuted Wednesday morning at the New York Stock Exchange.

Data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis found that median single-family square floor area increased from 2,445 in Q4 2014 to 2,521 square feet in Q1 2015.

A federal judge dismissed claims in lawsuits against U.S. Bancorp and Bank of America accusing the two banks of failing in their duties as trustees for residential mortgage-backed securities that were allegedly found to have defects after they were sold, causing billions of dollars in losses to investors.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services (FSC): Housing and Insurance Subcommittee held a hearing today called “The Future of Housing in America: Oversight of the Rural Housing Service,” according to a memorandum written by the FSC majority staff.

Freddie Mac released its U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook for May today, revealing that low mortgage rates kept affordability high in the first quarter of this year for buyers, but housing markets probably will see interest rates increase for the rest of the year.

In a joint announcement, the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD revealed new residential construction statistics for April 2015. This announcement included pertinent information on building permits, housing starts, and housing completions.