SBR-Authors Podcast: Finding True Happiness Through Acts of Kindness: A Conversation with Karen Olson
Creative Housing Solutions Pop Up Across Oregon
Affordable Housing on the Front Range: Inclusionary Housing Ordinances and the New Middle Income Housing Authority
Office-to-Apartment Conversions – A Good Idea, but Tricky to Pull Off (Audio)
Episode 15 | Hot! Hot! Hot! Don't get Burned by the Perils of Buying and Selling Residential Real Estate
California CRE to Expand in 2022
Recently the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rescinded various FHA mortgage loan requirements in a series of five Mortgagee Letters....more
In the wake of the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, Florida enacted sweeping changes that affect condominium governance, structural maintenance requirements, and reserve funding obligations. These changes have not only...more
Mr. Pulte is now the great poohbah of Fannie and Freddie supervising the Twins from his seat at FHFA and also now acting as chair of their respective boards. What is he going to do (assuming he has any agency here)?...more
In a significant policy shift under the Trump administration, the new Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte issued an order on March 25, 2025 terminating special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) supported...more
On February 26, several U.S. Senators sent a letter to HUD Secretary, Scott Turner, raising concerns about the Secretary’s role in the potential reprivatization of government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and...more
Overview - On 22 May 2024, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that he had requested permission from King Charles III to dissolve parliament and call a general election. The election will take place on 4 July 2024....more
On January 11, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued two new advisory opinions: Fair Credit Reporting; Background Screening and Fair Credit Reporting; File Disclosure. The advisory opinions are part of...more
In the wake of the tragic condominium building collapse in Surfside, Florida, Fannie Mae issued new temporary eligibility guidelines for loans insured by Fannie Mae for condominium units or co-op apartments which are...more
Yesterday, Ginnie Mae clarified in an industry forum that its APM 21-06 seasoning requirements for the VA IRRRL Refinance of a Modified Loan are measured from the contracted first payment due date under a modification...more
Ginnie Mae clarifies its MBS Guide with respect to seasoning of VA IRRRLs that are a “Refinance of a Modified Loan.” Issuers had challenged Ginnie Mae’s buy out demands that claimed insufficient seasoning when measured from...more
Biden Administration Extends Student Loan Pause Until January 31, 2022 - "The Department believes this additional time and a definitive end date will allow borrowers to plan for the resumption of payments and reduce the...more
The Mayfield Bridge in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was built to span the Rappahannock River and connect Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg; the bridge would ultimately provide an alternative to driving through the...more
The U.S. Department of Treasury recently issued the long-awaited Housing Reform Plan, and among various topics the Plan addresses the temporary qualified mortgage under the Regulation Z ability-to-repay rule for loans that...more
AARMR and CSBS are hosting a National Mortgage Policy Summit for policymakers, regulators, and the industry on November 13, 2019 in Washington, D.C. ...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced that it will allow the so-called “GSE patch” to expire in January 2021. This patch permits Government-Sponsored Entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy...more
Now midway through the first session of the 116th Congress, the House and Senate have yet to act on housing reform legislation. Most recently, Mark Calabria, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), announced...more
Walmart’s retail efforts to keep pace with Amazon are well documented. Now it appears that the company’s refusing to concede the entertainment space, either, as evidenced by its new partnerships with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and...more
A portion of the Treasury’s report entitled “A Financial System That Creates Economic Opportunities, Nonbank Financials, Fintech, and Innovation” focuses on the mortgage industry. ...more
Late last month, President Trump’s administration released a wide-sweeping reform and reorganization plan for the federal government. Included in this plan was a proposal to reform two of the largest government sponsored...more