HUD: New CAREs Act Mortgage Payment Relief Issued for FHA Single Family Homeowners
Mortgage servicers instructed to offer deferred or reduced mortgage payments by as much as 6 months to start. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced a tailored set of mortgage payment relief options for single family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages who are experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 National…
SBA: Public-Private Mobilization Effort to Distribution $349 Billion in Emergency Small Business Capital Begins
Following President Trump’s signing of the historic Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin today announced that the SBA and Treasury Department have initiated a robust mobilization effort of banks and other lending institutions to provide small businesses with the capital they need. The CARES Act establishes a…
FHFA: Loan Processing Flexibilities Authorized for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Customers
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced several loan processing flexibilities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (The Enterprises) designed to help their customers. The flexibilities announced by the Enterprises include: Allowing desktop appraisals on new construction loans; Allowing flexibility on demonstrating construction has been completed (alternative to the Completion Report); Allowing flexibility for…
Federal Agencies Encourage Banks, Savings Associations and Credit Unions to Offer Responsible Small-Dollar Loans to Consumers and Small Businesses Affected by COVID-19
Five federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a joint statement encouraging banks, savings associations, and credit unions to offer responsible small-dollar loans to consumers and small businesses in response to COVID-19. The statement of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Credit Union Administration,…
FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.3 Percent in January; Up 5.2 Percent from Last Year
U.S. house prices rose in January, up 0.3 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 5.2 percent from January 2019 to January 2020. The previously reported 0.6 percent increase for December 2019 was revised upward to 0.7 percent. For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly house…
SBA: Automatic Deferment on Existing SBA Disaster Loans Implemented Through End of 2020
Today, U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza announced changes to help borrowers still paying back SBA loans from previous disasters. By making this change, deferments through December 31, 2020, will be automatic. Now, borrowers of home and business disaster loans do not have to contact SBA to request deferment. “The SBA is looking at every option…
FHFA: Enterprises Authorized to Support Additional Liquidity in the Secondary Mortgage Market
Today, to help support immediate needs for liquidity in the secondary mortgage market, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has authorized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) to enter into additional dollar roll transactions (dollar roll transactions provide mortgage-backed securities investors with short-term financing of their positions, providing liquidity to these investors). Eligible collateral…
FHFA: Enterprises Directed to Grant Flexibilities for Appraisal and Employment Verifications
Today, to facilitate liquidity in the mortgage market during the coronavirus national emergency, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) to provide alternative flexibilities to satisfy appraisal requirements and employment verification requirements through May 17, 2020. To allow for homes to be bought, sold, and refinanced as our…
Agencies Provide Additional Information to Encourage Financial Institutions to Work with Borrowers Affected by COVID-19
The federal financial institution regulatory agencies and the state banking regulators issued an interagency statement encouraging financial institutions to work constructively with borrowers affected by COVID-19 and providing additional information regarding loan modifications. The agencies encourage financial institutions to work with borrowers, will not criticize institutions for doing so in a safe and sound manner,…
Pandemic Planning: Joint Questions and Answers Regarding State About the Use of Capital and Liquidity Buffers
Summary The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), along with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (collectively, the agencies), recognize the potential for Coronavirus Disease (also referred to as COVID-19) to adversely affect the customers and operations of financial institutions. On…