Christopher Whalen

Bowman's Basel III relief may ease MSR capital but won't bring banks back; risk weights and economics still favor nonbanks, according to the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors

Rising defaults, fraud risks, and collapsing rents are converging in urban multifamily, threatening lenders and taxpayers, according to the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Tri-merge mandates prop up a credit bureau/FICO oligopoly, raising mortgage costs with little benefit despite risk concerns, the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors argues.

Some action items could make a big difference for both mortgage lenders and consumers, but the Trump Administration is not yet focused on these concerns.

Billions in home equity sit untapped as second-lien loans struggle to gain traction, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Third-quarter mortgage earnings revealed swings in profitability, but the real story, according to the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors, is that hedging MSRs is unnecessary for well-managed lenders.

Mortgage groups want GSEs to buy MBS to lower rates, but the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors writes that the plan is risky, unnecessary, and poorly timed.

In order to believe in the idea of "competition" in credit scores, the Washington housing community must believe that large institutional investors who buy whole loans and mortgage-backed securities are really, really dumb, writes the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors

If they exit conservatorship, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might increase fees or retain servicing rights, shrinking their market share, according to the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Zohran Mamdani's vision for New York ignores the hard math: apartments aren't the affordable answer for families, writes the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

FHFA's surprise approval of VantageScore 4.0 raises concerns over data, implementation hurdles, and the politicized push to reform mortgage credit scoring, writes the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

The Treasury's need to finance growing debt is the unspoken factor in the discussion of monetary policy and housing costs, the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors argues.

As the Trump Administration looks for savings in the bloated federal housing complex, the most obvious opportunity is to return defaulted assets to the private sector, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

By restructuring the GSEs into public utilities, we can end decades of free-riding by private investors on the public credit, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

The Trump administration's appointees have been quick to roll back misguided Biden-era initiatives, writes the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Policy shifts and economic headwinds could reshape mortgage finance under Trump II says the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Rocket said the Redfin deal is part of a purchase mortgage strategy, but originating and retaining residential mortgages in portfolio is the real endgame writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Trump's housing policies risk destabilizing multifamily markets by cutting HUD and GSE support, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

With the Fed continuing to run off its balance sheet, both in terms of securities investments and reverse repurchase agreements, demand for risk-free collateral is rising even as production volumes fall, writes Whalen.

Releasing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship without legislation is very high risk for the shareholders, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.