Filtered by category: Legislative Clear Filter

Fed Raises Interest Rates; Balance Sheet Reductions Imminent

Originally published on May 4, 2022, by Howard Schneider and Ann Saphir for Reuters.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark overnight interest rate by half a percentage point, the biggest jump in 22 years, and the U.S. central bank's chief made an appeal to Americans struggling with high inflation to be patient while officials take the hard measures to bring it under control.

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Small-cap CRE Prices Jump but Aren’t Overinflated: Data

Originally published on April 28, 2022, by Michael Tucker for the Mortgage Banker's Association.

Small-cap commercial real estate prices have accelerated at an unprecedented rate but are not overinflated, reported Boxwood Means LLC, Stamford, Conn.

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FHFA Duty to Serve Plans Focus on Affordable Housing

Originally published on April 27, 2022 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today published the 2022-2024 Underserved Markets Plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) under the Duty to Serve (DTS) Program.

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FHFA Issues Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-26

Originally published on April 14, 2022 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency,

Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today issued the FHFA Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2022-2026​ (Strategic Plan). The Strategic Plan provides a framework that outlines the Agency’s priorities for the coming years as a regulator of the Federal Home Loan Bank System and as regulator and conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises).

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AI Asks Supreme Court to Review Ruling on Floor Plans

Originally published on April 7, 2022.

The Appraisal Institute on April 7 joined the National Association of Realtors and 17 other organizations in filing an Amicus Brief with the Supreme Court pertaining to a lower court ruling that would allow copyright infringement lawsuits to be filed against individuals, including appraisers, who make floor plans of a home.

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FHA Proposes 40-year Loan Modification Rule for Borrowers, Seeks Public Comment

Originally published on April 4, 2022, by Mike Sorohan for the Mortgage Banker's Association. 

The Federal Housing Administration on Friday published a proposed rule that would increase the maximum modification loan term limit from 360 months (30 years) to 480 months (40 years).

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Proposed Bill Would Scrap The Appraisal Foundation, Release GSE Appraisal Data

Originally published on March 31, 2022, by Georgia Kromrei, for HousingWire.com.

Congress hopes to supplant the appraisal governing body at the center of the industry’s self-regulated framework and make public the trove of appraisal data held by the government-sponsored enterprises.

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45-Day Notice on Proposed Amendments to Bylaws, Regs, Code of Professional Ethics

Originally published on March 30, 2022, by the Appraisal Institute

The Appraisal Institute Board of Directors on March 28 sent to 45-Day Notice proposed amendments to Bylaws, Regulation Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 8 and the Code of Professional Ethics. Read the 45-Day Notice (AI log in required).

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White House Issues Action Plan on Bias in Appraisals

Originally published on March 30, 2022 by the White House.

The Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity Task Force on March 23 published an Action Plan to address concerns about lower appraisals for properties owned by individuals of color. The Appraisal Institute provided input to the Task Force, whose Action Plan covers appraisal standards, diversity within the valuation profession, and reporting requirements for violations of federal law.

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AI Offers White House Input on Task Force Action Plan

Originally published on March 23, 2022, by President Joseph R. Biden for the White House.

Following the release of the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity Task Force Action Plan on appraisal bias, the Appraisal Institute on March 23 sent a letter to the White House stating that it looks forward to working with the Task Force to implement several of their regulatory initiatives and reiterating that the majority of appraisers strive to uphold high standards and maintain independence and objectivity in their work.

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Freddie Mac Phasing Out Automated Appraisal Waivers

Originally published on March 16, 2022, by Danny Gardner for Freddie Mac.

TO: Freddie Mac Sellers
SUBJECT: AUTOMATED COLLATERAL EVALUATION (ACE) ELIGIBILITY

This Guide Bulletin announces:

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FHFA Allots Record $1.1B for Affordable Housing Programs

Originally published on February 28, 2022, by Adam Russell for the FHFA.

 Today, FHFA Acting Director Sandra L. Thompson announced that the Housing Trust Fund and Capital Magnet Fund will receive a total of $1.138 billion for affordable housing initiatives from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises). This is the largest amount ever provided to these programs from the Enterprises.

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AI Board of Directors Adopts 45-Day Notice Item During February Meeting

Originally published on March 2, 2022, for the Appraisal Institute. 

The Appraisal Institute Board of Directors voted to adopt one 45-Day Notice item during its Feb. 24-25 meeting in Chicago. The 45-Day Notice item addresses Compensation Committee Policies and Procedures.

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FHFA Requests Input on Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2026

Originally published on February 9, 2022, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

​Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today requests input on its Draft Strategic Planwhich outlines the Agency's priorities for the coming years as a regulator of the Federal Home Loan Bank System and as regulator and conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises).

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USPAP Needs Clarity Regarding Bias, Federal Law: Agencies

Originally published on February 7, 2022, by NAFCU Newsroom.

The NCUA, CFPB, and several other agencies including the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Friday wrote to The Appraisal Foundation (TAF), a private non-governmental entity with the sole power to set professional standards for appraisers, regarding appraisal discrimination. The agencies called out TAF for failing to “include clear warnings about the requirements of federal law in the standards it sets, and in the training it provides for appraisers.” 

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Biden Administration Creates Coalition to Improve Building Performance Standards

Originally published on January 21, 2022 by the White House. 

Today, President Biden announced during his remarks at the U.S. Conference of Mayors that his Administration is teaming up with states, cities, labor, and industry to launch the Building Performance Standards Coalition, the first-of-its-kind partnership between 33 state and local governments dedicated to delivering cleaner, healthier, and more affordable buildings. With nearly 20% of the nation’s building footprint in their jurisdictions, the partnership facilitates new commitments to design and implement building performance standards at the state and local level, create good-paying, union jobs, lower energy bills for consumers, keep residents and workers safe from harmful pollution, and cut emissions from the building sector. Today’s announcement builds upon the Department of Energy’s efforts to upgrade one million homes and makes progress toward President Biden’s goal to retrofit four million buildings and two million homes during his first term.

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Report Explores USPAP, AQC Inclusiveness and Objectivity

The National Fair Housing Alliance, under contract by the Appraisal Subcommittee and the Council on Licensure, Enforcement, and Regulation, on Jan. 19 released its report on whether the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice and Appraiser Qualifications Criteria support or promote fairness, equity, objectivity and diversity in both appraisals and the training and credentialing of appraisers. The findings and recommendations are far-reaching, and some will require legislative action.

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State Attorneys General Target FHA Loan Violations

Originally published on January 5, 2022, by Georgia Kromrei for HousingWire.com.

Some Federal Housing Administration-approved mortgage servicers have routinely flouted the agency’s loan modification program, according to Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine and 20 other state attorneys general.

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Inflation at 40-year High, Rates Could Rise: Labor Report

Originally published on January 12, 2022, by Lucia Mutikani for Reuters.com

U.S. consumer prices increased solidly in December as rental accommodation and used cars maintained their strong gains, culminating in the largest annual rise in inflation in nearly four decades, which bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will start raising interest rates as early as March.

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FHFA Releases Q3 Uniform Appraisal Dataset Statistics

Originally published on December 15, 2023, by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today published its 2022 third-quarter data for the Uniform Appraisal Data (UAD) Aggregate Statistics Data File.

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