The Senate voted 72-13 on Saturday to pass a landmark housing bill that will provide up to $300 billion in new FHA money for distressed homebuyers and create a new, tougher regulator for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the other housing GSEs. President Bush is expected to sign the bill by midweek. The House passed the bill last week. Among other things, the "Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008" permanently raises the Fannie/Freddie loan limit to $625,000 and bans downpayment assistance programs in regard to Federal Housing Administration loans. It also allows for the Treasury Department to invest in Fannie/Freddie securities, if need be. "For Americans out there today with distressed mortgages and worried about their economic future, we hope this legislation could be the first piece of good news in a long time," Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., told reporters over the weekend.
-
Rejections for mortgage credit outpaced almost every other borrowing category, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
7h ago -
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said the FICO credit-scoring model has drawbacks in price, predictiveness and market competition, and stakeholders should develop a more open-sourced model that uses artificial intelligence.
8h ago -
Smaller players face challenges when it comes to mortgage servicing rights, and larger ones have varying motivations, experts at an industry meeting say.
9h ago -
The 30-year fixed rate mortgage average resumed its climb that started in September, as the benchmark 10-year Treasury price still reflects views on inflation.
10h ago -
Fannie Mae's latest economic forecast no longer expects mortgage rates to go below 6% next year, and that is affecting its views on loan origination volume.
November 21 -
Amid steady customer growth, USAA's banking arm failed to make the investments necessary to satisfy either its regulators or some decades-long customers. Changes in the executive suite haven't fixed the problems.
November 21