The new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) took the opportunity of his swearing in to echo the Trump administration’s emphasis on government efficiency. William J. Pulte was confirmed by a 56-43 vote of the U.S. Senate last week as FHFA Director for a five-year term. Three Democrats voted with the Republican majority to approve President Trump’s nomination.
The likely next leader of the federal agency that oversees a key part of the mortgage industry testified told members of Congress last week he is prepared to lead the effort to “usher in the Golden Age of housing and mortgage accessibility.” William J. Pulte, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), was one of four administration nominees to appear at a joint confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Housing and mortgage experts are beginning to see a market shift in favor of buyers but remain cautious as to whether that will bring more originations for mortgage processors and underwriters. National real estate brokerage Redfin reported last week that the U.S. housing market tilted in favor of buyers for the first time this decade in January. The 3.7 months of for-sale inventory was the highest in six years.
Real estate brokerage Redfin reported that new listings of U.S. homes for sale rose 7.9 percent from a year earlier during the four weeks ending February 2. Meanwhile, pending sales are improving slightly, but still down 8.1 percent year over year. The uptick in new listings and lack of sales is contributing to a growing pool of supply for homebuyers to choose from.
Fannie Mae economists interpret a recent rise in the 10-year Treasury yield as a sign that home sales are far from rebounding from 30-year lows. In Fannie’s first monthly commentary of 2025, its Economic and Strategic Research Group raised its forecast on where 30-year mortgage rates will land by the end of the year. Fannie now sees rates closing this year at 6.5 percent instead of its previous forecast of 6.2 percent.
In order to simplify the disclosures for consumers and encourage more shopping, the CFPB or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is in the process of changing the GFE. This change should be happening within the next few days, I imagine. So, I wanted to take another moment discuss this and hopefully shed some understanding and remind you of these changes soon to come.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
A few weeks ago we discussed some of the changes coming our way to how we do things in our industry. Here are a few more clarifications of things coming our way. The Dodd-Frank Act states that a creditor may not make a mortgage loan without first determining that the borrower has a reasonable ability-to-repay the loan.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
In our ever changing industry we are constantly hit with new regulations which cause us to completely change how we do things. Well, here we go again!
In order to simplify the disclosures for consumers and encourage more shopping, the CFPB or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is in the process of changing the GFE.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Last week we began discussing the importance of understanding how to read a credit report. As stated last week, no doubt we can all agree that as processors we need to know how to read and interpret information on a credit report. So let’s begin the second part:
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Do you find yourself feeling overloaded at times? Do you often have to work late in order to meet your closing deadlines? Do you seem to be going from one crisis file to another? If so, you may want to take a few steps back…breathe…and ask yourself, how well am I managing my time?
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Last week we started a two week series, offering ten tips to make you a better and more efficient processor. This week we will finish out with the last several tips. So here we go…
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Written By: Stacey Sprain
As an FHA originator, processor or underwriter, it’s likely that in the ongoing foreclosure market you’ll run across a HUD REO loan at some point. The purpose of this multi-part article is to provide you with some useful information to help in your endeavors.