Brian Collins covers the housing and mortgage market, including the Federal Housing Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A reporter with more than two decades of experience, Brian has covered the savings and loan crisis, subprime mortgage debacle and the fall of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Employment in the nonbank mortgage lender and brokerage sector unexpectedly rose in February after several months of layoffs.
The dominant player in manufactured housing lauded the Trump administration's review of construction standards, but other commenters worry the plan will undermine housing quality.
The annual progress report on the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac conservatorships reiterated that a new credit score model will likely not be operational until after the implementation of a new Single Security Initiative.
After several years of preparation, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will start issuing a new, common mortgage-backed security starting June 3, 2019, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Wednesday.
Lawmakers approved a measure to increase the program's funding by nearly $3 billion over four years.
Senate Democrats accused Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and his agency of failing to enforce fair housing laws.
A bill to allow captive insurance companies to be reinstated as members of the Federal Home Loan Bank System appears to be dividing the FHLB community.
HUD Secretary Ben Carson told lawmakers that overly rigid False Claims Act enforcement had forced lenders to suffer financially for what were just minor errors, but that lenders' fears of being sued were dissipating.
A mortgage program created by a 2015 partnership between the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago and Ginnie Mae has securitized over $1 billion in government-backed mortgages, the partnership announced.
As Congress moves quickly toward passing regulatory relief legislation, another financial services policy goal — long-term reform of the National Flood Insurance Program — remains stalled.