Loan Think

The battle lines are drawn between those seeking to protect the mortgage interest deduction and a legislative effort to greatly reduce its use. Hopefully, this is a battle that taxpayers will win.

The treatment of local property taxes and the mortgage interest deduction in the House Republicans' tax plan would cause homeowners in high-cost states like California to incur much higher tax bills.

So long as the current monetary regime survives, homeowners — present and potential — can expect higher average prices interspersed with wild rides up and down.

The HUD secretary’s comment that such use of the False Claims Act was “ridiculous” may delight the mortgage industry but does not bode well for taxpayers or the federal government’s future fraud enforcement efforts.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency must set fees equal to the cost of capital that private banks hold against similar risk, not just the amount of capital that Fannie and Freddie think are right for themselves.

Following the release of the nonbinding statement of policy, regulators still have an important role to play in making sure the industry achieves an effective data-sharing model.

To protect veterans from predatory lending practices, Ginnie Mae and the Department of Veterans Affairs should remove lenders' financial incentive for originating Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans.

While the scale of destruction and suffering caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma is staggering, history suggests the local economy and housing markets in the affected areas will bounce back relatively quickly.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created in part to ensure that nonbanks are subject to federal oversight, but the fact is that 99% of banks are exempt from CFPB supervision.

Although property tax loans raise concerns for the mortgage industry, there is a way for property tax lenders and mortgage companies to co-exist.