Weekly Brief: BoA Sued; SCOTUS Shortlists; Fund Fights Argentina
On May 1, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced new policies that will allow borrowers to challenge property appraisals they believe to be inaccurate or biased....more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued a press release announcing a 2023 update to its Equity Action Plan. The Equity Action Plan is part of HUD’s efforts to implement President Biden’s...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced the 2024 loan limits for FHA insured forward mortgage loans and FHA insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs). The announcements were made...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced in Mortgagee Letter 2023.13 that lenders must use the Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF) of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in connection...more
In what is now the second largest bank failure in United States history, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation closed embattled San Francisco-based First Republic Bank shortly after midnight...more
In Mortgagee Letter 2023-01, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) addressed the use of the revised Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac single-family loan documents with FHA Title II forward mortgage loans. As...more
At the close of this month, certain moratoria on foreclosures and evictions are set to lift. While prior deadlines have been extended, it remains to be seen whether another continuance will be granted amidst an increase in...more
REMOVALS- Can I be removed from my home as a result of a foreclosure proceeding during the COVID-19 emergency? No. On March 19, 2020, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy issued Executive Order 106, which suspended...more
Since the beginning of the year and the change in Presidential administrations, a number of relief measures granted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been extended. Below are updates regarding relief measures in place...more
REMOVALS- Can I be removed from my home as a result of a foreclosure proceeding during the COVID-19 emergency? No. On March 19, 2020, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy issued Executive Order 106 , suspending evictions...more
Three federal agencies who make, guarantee, and insure mortgage loans, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department...more
On May 14, 2020, shortly after the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac COVID-19 payment deferral options were announced, we warned mortgage servicers about the legal risks associated with offering payment deferral programs to...more
By recently releasing yet another revised representation and warranty framework, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continued their efforts to assuage the concerns of the lending industry that a default by a borrower poses an unfair...more
On August 19th, 2015, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) adopted a final rule establishing single-family and multifamily housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for 2015 through 2017. In addition, the final rule...more
While Director Cordray’s appearance at the House Financial Services Committee’s hearing on the CFPB’s fifth Semi-Annual Report yesterday was accompanied by the usual dose of political theater, his testimony did yield the...more
During the 2013 legislative session, several new laws were passed which directly affect the banking and financial services industries. While most of these changes are relatively minor, they are certainly worth noting. Below...more
On September 30, the federal government shut down or significantly reduced staffing for many of its programs because of Congress’ failure to pass a budget for this fiscal year. The shutdown appears set to affect the real...more
The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight on September 30th as the Congress failed to pass a bill to continue funding the government. The repercussions are many, including preventing 800,000 Americans from...more
This summer has brought a wave of housing finance reform efforts in both chambers of Congress. Legislators are finally proposing ways to downsize and eliminate two housing finance giants – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the...more
Consumers interested in energy-efficient homes will benefit if a recent bill, called the SAVE Act (Sensible Accounting to Value Energy), becomes law. The law, if enacted, would require Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal...more
Can shareholders of a government-sponsored enterprise successfully challenge the constitutionality of a government takeover of the entity? Shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will try to do so in a $41 billion class...more