The House has passed a predatory-lending bill by a bipartisan vote of 291-127 that clamps down on abusive lending practices, makes securitizers responsible for loans they package, and lowers the points-and-fees trigger on the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act to cover more high-cost subprime loans.Mortgage lenders, along with the Bush administration, oppose key provisions of the bill, contending that the lending standards are too subjective and that the assignee liability provisions (along with the HOEPA provisions) will reduce access to mortgage credit. However, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., said the bill will "protect consumers from predatory lending practices" and preserve access to credit. "We are dealing with legislation that seeks to prevent a repetition of the events that caused one of the most serious financial crises in recent times," said House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass. The National Association of Mortgage Brokers succeeded in getting language in the bill (H.R. 3915) clarifying that a broker's fee can be financed into the loan. However, mortgage bankers are concerned that this language might require the disclosure of servicing-released premiums for the first time. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., said he will introduce a predatory-lending bill soon.
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The incentive, meant to ramp up activity in Rocket's broker channel, is valid from Nov. 5 to Nov. 17.
2h ago -
Low supply and production volumes, though, have left values competitive, with two segments in particular holding promise for favorable returns, a new report said.
2h ago -
The company formerly known as Ocwen improved results on several fronts even though a secondary market price change reduced origination profits in one channel.
3h ago -
Analysts are watching both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump for potential regulatory picks, as well as how strongly Trump advocates for policies like tariffs and deportations that could impact the economy, inflation and bankers' prospects.
8h ago -
Leaders at financial institutions said borrower demand should pick back up, if slowly, following Tuesday's vote.
November 4 -
Even as home equity withdrawals hit a two-year high, utilization rate remained less than half of normal, ICE Mortgage Technology said.
November 4