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.
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The Chicago-area lender, which at first was able to get the suit quashed, agreed to end the discrimination case by paying a $105,000 fine.
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The wholesale lender filed a motion to dismiss the case, or at least to strike the class action certification in mid-October.
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Remax, the real estate brokerage and mortgage broker franchisor of Motto Mortgage, rebounded from a year ago loss in a tough news cycle for both its businesses.
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Economists cautioned that October's employment report may not provide a fully accurate representation of the economy due to recent hurricanes.
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HomeStreet and FirstSun are working to devise a new formula after the Texas Department of Banking and the Federal Reserve declined to approve their merger application.
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Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his investment firm Liberty Strategic Capital are seeking to more than double his indirect ownership stake of Flagstar Financial — formerly New York Community Bank — to 22.9%, according to filings obtained by American Banker.
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