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HUD Enforcement: The Serious Business of Lender Oversight
By Brian Montgomery, former FHA Commissioner and Vice Chairman, The Collingwood Group and Karen Garner Wing, Special Advisor to The Collingwood Group and former HUD Quality Assurance Division Manager...
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The Issues: Another Government Refinance Program?
The New York Times is reporting that the government is seriously contemplating a broad-based refinancing of mortgages guaranteed by the two GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, in an effort to reduce...
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Ground Zero Remembrance: 10 Years Later
The morning of September 14, 2001, began with a solemn remembrance at the Washington National Cathedral, followed by President George W. Bush's much anticipated visit to Ground Zero. That afternoon, as...
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It’s Time to Refinance America and Time For Washington to Get Out of The Way
In a recently published study by the Federal Reserve they confirm what millions of American homeowners know first hand and what most professionals in the housing finance industry have known for over a...
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Refinance America: A New and Improved Plan
Written By:Brideen GallagherVice President, The Collingwood GroupBrian O’Reilly raised some very intriguing propositions on dealing with the ever growing issue of borrower income/wealth trapped in...
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Refinance America: In Defense of American Capitalism
In Saturday’s New York Times, Martin S. Feldstein, in an Op Ed entitled “How to Stop the Drop in Home Values”, argues that continuing declines in home prices are at the heart of America’s housing...
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Uncertainty 4.0: Will 2012 Exceed Our Low Expecations?
The noted science fiction writer Ursula K. LeGuin might have been referring to the present day when she opined that “the only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not...
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Mr. President, it's Time for a National Housing Policy
Please Mr. President, enough with the one-off responses, it's time for a National Housing Policy.The only thing more predictable than the fact that the President will deliver to Congress a State of the...
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What Should the Government do to Address the Inventory of Foreclosed Properties?
Economists calculate that the decline in home prices has cost American homeowners approximately $7 trillion in home equity. Compounding this problem is the fact that the inventory of homes available...
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Solemn Remembrance of Those Lost Aboard Shuttle Columbia
Like countless persons across the world, I watched in quiet disbelief as thousands of pieces of debris streaked across the vast Texas sky the morning of February 1, 2003. Unlike what had transpired in...
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Housing Assistance 2012: Another Herculean Task for the FHA
Beginning the 37th month of his presidency, the Obama Administration today announced a laundry list of new programs to help struggling homeowners, crack down on abusive lending practices, make mortgage...
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Effective Implementation of Quality Control Plans
As an FHA approved lender, you are required to have and implement a Quality Control Plan (QCP). As many lenders have probably figured out, the QC review process is not necessarily intuitive and easily...
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A Call to Action - FHFA’s Strategic Plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Yesterday the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued to Congress its Strategic Plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Conservatorships. Acting Director DeMarco and FHFA staff are to be soundly...
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Retail Sales Figures and the Refi Plan
The Obama Administration’s plan to refinance all “responsible” homeowners is more about transferring money from long term savers (pension funds and the elderly) to spenders (cash strapped homeowners)...
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Lackluster NAHB Home Builder Outlook, Despite Record Rates
Don’t expect much -- or any positive -- movement. Despite record low rates and the lowest historical affordability rates on record, the fundamental issues plaguing new home sales persist. The National...
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Previewing this Week's June Home Sales Reports
Home construction continues to struggle against headwinds created by - excess housing supply, and tight credit, but the Administration has the ability to change this restrictive paradigm, even without...
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Previewing FHFA's House Price Index
Today the Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA) will release its House Price Index. Last month’s report showed that home prices rose modestly, by 0.8 percent in April for homes sold or...
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Previewing Residential Vacancies and Homeownership Data
The homeownership rate is projected to decline in upcoming years, as demonstrated by the first quarter data. The continued decline in homeownership can be attributed to the stubbornly high delinquency...
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Previewing the Employment Situation Report
While unemployment remains relatively high, it is important to recognize that small businesses and their employees have borne the brunt of job loss with over 90 percent of all job loss since 2009....
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Previewing this Week's Construction and Home Sales Reports
This week's release of the New Residential Construction and Existing Home Sales data will give us insight into what the construction and mortgage industries are betting on for the short-term future of...
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