CHLA-78-percent-LTV-Magic-Number
Mortgage Compliance

FHA Premium Goes On and On…

Some in the housing and lending industries are clamoring for a further reduction in the initial or annual FHA mortgage insurance premiums. The belief is that with the increase in FHA insured loans, helped greatly by the last reduction in the annual premium, FHA has achieved and maybe surpassed the 2% capital reserve requirements. The Community Home Lenders Association (CHLA)…

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USDA-Lender-agent
Mortgage Compliance

Some Positive Reforms in USDA’s Rural Housing Service Loan Programs

Recently, I discussed a new security role of “Lender Agent” that was created by USDA Rural Development for participating lenders. Once designated as a “Lender Agent” – a User will be authorized to establish applications, order new and re-issue existing credit reports and request preliminary underwriting recommendations on behalf of an approved lender. Although this is a baby-step in the…

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The-Trid-opportunity
Mortgage Loan Quality

TRID the Competitive Advantage

With TRID about 4 months old, we continually hear of the horror stories; delayed closing, consumer confusion, investor rejections and now adverse effects on the private label securities. What’s next? Maybe, why Carolina lost the Super Bowl, or why Hillary lost in New Hampshire. Does this now present opportunity? You bet it does. The lenders that figure out how to…

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Liar-loans-pants-are-on-fire
Uncategorized

The Devil Made Me Do It

Welcome to America; land of opportunity. That includes the opportunity to defraud mortgage lenders and banks when getting a loan. (Chicago Tribune article on Liar Loans) Individuals found guilty of participating in the creation of fraudulent loans say they shouldn’t have to pay any restitution to the BofA for losses because the bank should have known better. After all, the…

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FHA-Update-Condo-Approval-rules
Mortgage Compliance

Some Real Changes in FHA Condominium Project Approval Procedures

Some good news from Capitol Hill this past week came in the form of an announcement that the House approved a Bill (by a 427-0 margin) that would make substantive changes in FHA’s condominium project approval and recertification procedures. In my November 24, 2015, Blog Post,  I discussed three subtle changes implemented by HUD/FHA (at that time) in its condominium…

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FHA-Update-Condo-Approval-rules
Mortgage Industry Trends

Some Housing Policy News Out of DC

Recently, I noted that we haven’t heard much talk about housing policy from either the sitting President or those seeking to take his seat. But lo and behold, we get some news out of Congress that the House, by a vote of 427 to zero passed legislation that would reform FHA’s condo approval rules (FHA Condos). Wow 427-0, that’s pretty…

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