Politics and policy

Senators propose natural-disaster mortgage relief bill

Lawmakers from two wildfire-stricken states put forth a new Senate bill that would mandate mortgage relief for homeowners in the aftermath of natural disasters.  Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. and Michael Bennet, D-Colo. introduced the Mortgage Relief for Disaster Survivors Act this week aimed at alleviating homeowners’ financial hardship after an extreme weather event. The bill

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VA foreclosure prevention bill signed into law by Trump

A rule establishing permanent foreclosure protection measures for Department of Veteran Affairs borrowers was signed into law by President Donald Trump Wednesday, after a previous iteration of a federal servicing program expired earlier this year. The VA Home Loan Program Reform Act, which was introduced by Rep. Derrick Van Orden R-Wis., aligns servicing guidelines with

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Pulte takes issue with Powell statement on Fed housing role

Housing regulator Bill Pulte showed new frustration with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and the latest decision to keep short-term rates unchanged on Wednesday, adding to pressure President Trump has been putting on the monetary policymaker to lower them. This time Pulte used his social media account on X to take issue with the way

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Jerome Powell

Powell: ‘Many, many uncertainties’ remain for tariff impacts

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome PowellBloomberg News WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank is still trying to get a handle on how higher tariffs will impact the economy.  Powell said it was always going to take time for higher import levies to translate into higher prices for consumers, but the administration’s

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Score modernization taking shape but ROI tough to quantify

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are set to accept newer credit scores that incorporate nontraditional data, a long-anticipated move that could expand access to home loans — but not without raising new questions and costs. That was the conclusion some experts like James Bennison, former executive vice president and head of alternative markets at Arch

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Barry Habib on his appointment to the Fannie Mae board

Mortgage industry prognosticator Barry Habib was both surprised and honored that the Federal Housing Finance Agency approached him for a role on the Fannie Mae board. “I wasn’t expecting it, I didn’t solicit it, and it is an extreme honor,” Habib said in an interview with National Mortgage News. He was named to the Fannie

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FHFA set to end equitable housing finance plans for GSEs

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is proposing to repeal its fair lending, fair housing and equitable housing finance rule, stating it is looking to comply with Pres. Trump’s executive orders. Furthermore, the rule is duplicative, with the laws behind each portion administered by other agencies. But Jannell Byrd-Chichester, general counsel for the National Fair Housing

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Private flood insurance growing as federal coverage recedes

Private flood insurance use rose notably in recent years as utilization of federal coverage inched down due to adjustments to public programs that have included more latitude in the mortgage sector. Over the last four years, private coverage grew 20% while public policies the National Flood Insurance Program offers receded by 2%, according to a

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Bipartisan bill seeks to boost affordable housing

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is leading an effort to increase housing supply through the introduction of a bill that would boost investments in affordable housing — a priority set by the Trump administration. Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., along with several other senators, introduced the Community

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