A coalition of 46 independent mortgage banks (IMBs) is calling for guarantee-fee parity and a competitive cash window in a letter sent Friday to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte. The push comes as the Trump administration signals plans to move forward with a stock offering for […]
IMBs urge Treasury, FHFA to preserve guarantee-fee parity Read More »
While the mortgage industry has applauded the Trump administration’s push to restore a partial claim option for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans, many experts warn it may arrive too late to help thousands of struggling borrowers. The program could prevent many defaults and foreclosures, but the implementation timeline is critical, they added. In statement
VA mortgage partial claim restoration faces timing challenges Read More »
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday issued a public request for information on noncompete agreements as it seeks to identify practices it considers “unfair” and “anticompetitive,” a topic that has drawn attention across the mortgage and real estate industries. Under the Trump administration, the FTC said it will take a case-by-case approach rather than
FTC revisits noncompete rules after Biden-era ban blocked Read More »
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has revised residency requirements for the Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee program to exclude non-permanent resident aliens. “This update aligns HUD’s requirements with recent executive actions that emphasize the prioritization of federal resources to protect the financial interests of American citizens and ensure the integrity
HUD moves to bar non-permanent residents from Section 184 tribal loan program Read More »
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued regulatory guidance in the past year that has had a “significant impact on counseling” for prospective Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) borrowers. That’s according to Melinda Opperman, the chief external affairs officer for Credit.org, a national nonprofit financial counseling agency. In a recent interview
Will HUD’s new guidelines transform reverse mortgage counseling? Read More »
The American Land Title Association (ALTA) is taking a stand in Fidelity National Financial’s (FNF) lawsuit against the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and its new mandatory reporting rule, set to go into effect in December. On Tuesday, the title insurance trade group filed a motion asking the U.S. District Court in Jacksonville, Fla., for
ALTA throws support behind Fidelity in FinCEN lawsuit Read More »
A long-awaited crackdown on trigger leads is on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk, but not everyone in the mortgage world is celebrating. Nestled in the bill is a provision that’s leading professionals to raise doubts about whether the measure is a consumer safeguard or a competition killer. “The act will require consumers to
Does the trigger leads bill opt-in provision wave goodbye to competition? Read More »
With the implementation date for Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for Residential Real Estate Transfers fast approaching, Fidelity National Financial (FNF) and its subsidiaries are asking the court to take action in its lawsuit over the rule. Filed in May 2025, the suit challenges FinCEN’s anti-money laundering rule, which requires title firms to
Fidelity asks for summary judgment in suit against FinCEN, Bessent Read More »
As the nationwide housing inventory and affordability crisis persists, a trio of experts sit down with HousingWire to detail proposed solutions. The solve? It’s multi-faceted and it comes down to fixing supply issues, changing zoning and updating regulation. Kent Colton, president of the Colton Housing Group and former CEO of the National Association of Home
Experts offer multi-faceted solutions to the housing supply shortage Read More »
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said Tuesday it has allowed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to approve Rocket Companies’ planned acquisition of Mr. Cooper Group, noting the combined company should not exceed a 20% counterparty risk limit set for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Detroit-based Rocket announced in March that it would acquire Mr. Cooper
FHFA clears Rocket’s $9.4B acquisition of Mr. Cooper, with safeguards Read More »