The Department of Housing and Development is seeking information about the impact that the frequent use of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) products may have on borrowers’ ability to meet housing-related expenses, including rent or...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued Mortgagee Letter 2025-09, which updates the residency requirements for borrowers seeking Federal Housing Authority (FHA) insured financing....more
On January 3, Fannie Mae updated its mortgage loan underwriting system, Desktop Underwriter (DU), to support changes made to FHA and VA loan limits. The update will take place during the weekend of January 20. ...more
Economic turmoil brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has created much concern about a potential rise in residential foreclosures. On August 5, 2020, Governor Jim Justice followed his presentation on school reopening...more
In Mortgagee Letter 2020-30 dated September 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides guidance on the underwriting of applicants for FHA insured mortgage loans who were granted a previous...more
On August 27, 2020, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced the extension of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac moratorium on single-family foreclosures from August 31, 2020, to December 31, 2020. The moratorium on...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced in Mortgagee Letter 2018-11 a nearly 7% increase in the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) forward mortgage loan limits for 2019. ...more
On October 19, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it settled allegations that a Florida-based mortgage lender violated the False Claims Act (FCA) ?by falsely certifying that it complied with Federal Housing...more
In a July 2018 interview with HousingWire, FHA Commissioner Brian Montgomery stated that the FHA wants to bring big banks back to the FHA lending space by increasing transparency and decreasing False Claims Act (FCA)...more
Starting January 1, 2018, single-family home sellers in Portland will be required to report a Home Energy Score (HES) to potential buyers. The HES is a federally-developed measurement of the energy-related use and associated...more
On the heels of Deutsche Bank’s $7.2 billion deal, Credit Suisse has finalized the terms of its own MBS-related settlement. The Swiss bank will pay $5.3 billion to resolve claims that it misled investors about the standards...more
On September 29, the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD OIG) announced the termination of an investigation of a national mortgage lender relating to a purported...more
On October 3, 2016, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that two Utah-based Direct Endorsement (DE) lenders agreed to pay $5 million and $4.25 million dollars to settle separate cases relating to their...more
On September 13, 2016, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a settlement agreement with a bank for allegedly violating the False Claims Act by improperly underwriting and originating of FHA-insured mortgage loans. ...more
On August 5, an Alabama bank announced in its quarterly report that it reached an agreement in principal on a settlement amount with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the Department of Housing and Urban Development...more
The purpose of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is "to help creditworthy low income and first time homebuyers, individuals and families often denied traditional credit, to obtain a mortgage and purchase a home." This...more
A class action filed last week in the Northern District of Georgia disputes the ability of a lender to charge post-payment interest for certain home mortgage loans when the lender has not provided a very specific disclosure...more