Daily Dose

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released Monday the findings of its June 2014 Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE), revealing a slight uptick in economic hopes among Americans as housing expectations remained flat. On the housing front, the median home price change expectation was little changed, dipping slightly to a median expected 3.9 percent over the next 12 months.

The mortgage industry had a lot to say late last week following the release of new draft standards for private mortgage insurers to work with GSE loans—and not all of the reactions were positive. U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI), a trade group comprised of a number of member insurers, was quick to lend its support in a statement, though not all member companies agreed.

Citi released its quarterly earnings report Monday morning, posting net profit of $181 million—a decline of 96 percent compared to earnings of $4.2 billion a year ago. The second quarter's results include a $3.8 billion charge related to a $7.0 billion settlement with the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (RMBS) Working Group, also announced early Monday.

In the midst of hurricane season, CoreLogic released its storm surge analysis for the year, counting more than 6.5 million homes at risk of hurricane damage and a total of $1.5 trillion in total reconstruction costs for these homes. Importantly, CoreLogic noted a large portion of homes susceptible to flood damage are not located within Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zones and therefore are not required to carry flood insurance.

The CFPB issued guidance to curb brokers transitioning into the "mini-correspondent" model in the hopes of avoiding rules affecting broker compensation. "Today we are putting companies on notice that they cannot avoid those rules by calling themselves by a different name," commented CFPB Director Richard Cordray with the release of the new guidance.

From April 2013 through March 2014, Chinese buyers accounted for 16 percent of foreign home sales, up from 12 percent in 2013. In dollar volume, China's share is higher, accounting for 24 percent of sales during that period. "Put another way, the value of homes bought by Chinese buyers in the US has increased from $1.2 [billion] to $7.5 [billion], or slightly more than 500 percent, over five years," said Paul Diggle at Capital Economics.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released a draft for new eligibility requirements for private mortgage insurers who insure mortgage loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The agency is seeking comments on the draft and will accept input through September 8.

Wells Fargo reported strong financials for the second quarter, driven in part by an uptick in mortgage lending and ongoing improvements in credit quality. The megabank reported $5.7 billion in net income for the quarter, up 4 percent over $5.5 billion a year prior. For the year's first half, Wells Fargo took in $11.6 billion in net income, up nearly $1 billion compared to the same period in 2013.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued guidance this week aimed at making it easier for surviving family members who have inherited a property due the death of ...

Representatives John K. Delaney (D-Maryland), John Carney (D-Delaware), and Jim Himes (D-Connecticut) introduced Thursday new housing finance reform legislation aimed at winding down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and replacing them with a federally backed insurance program administered through Ginnie Mae.