Paul Centopani

While the mortgage market began the year healthy, lenders and borrowers need to prepare for the impacts of the coming coronavirus recession.

As financial hardships mount with the COVID-19 outbreak, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac released their plans for mortgage borrowers impacted by the pandemic.

With the economy and job market both healthy before the COVID-19 crisis, first-time homebuyers took advantage of low mortgage rates and hit their highest volume in two decades.

With small businesses feeling the financial scourge of the coronavirus, bridge loans could be the direction they turn to keep things afloat.

Home price gains continued during the fourth quarter and pushed the share of upside-down mortgages to the lowest level since the housing crisis, according to CoreLogic.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac coming out of conservatorship and transitioning into public utilities would be the ideal for small mortgage lenders, according to trade-organization representative Robert Zimmer.

Consumer sentiment for home buying stayed near its record high behind low mortgage rates and a strong job market, though the declining stock markets and COVID-19 concerns may change that soon, according to Fannie Mae.

To help the housing crunch, a growing consensus of economists believe adding homes on lots where one already exists would benefit affordability and incrementally boost supply, according to Zillow.

January's plummeting mortgage rates led to a spike in the share of millennials refinancing their home loans, a trend that should carry into February and March, according to Ellie Mae.

Women are becoming more and more empowered in home purchasing, thanks in part to the digitization of the mortgage and real estate industries, according to a report from Compass and Better.com.

While home price appreciation has lost some momentum, tight inventory and low rates could drive housing values further upward this spring if the coronavirus remains contained, according to CoreLogic.

Reduced construction and domestic migration in search of better job markets caused housing supply deficits in over half of the U.S., according to Freddie Mac.

While the overall foreclosure rate fell, the share of zombie properties grew in the first quarter of 2020, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Despite the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters caused by climate change, just 33% of consumers said it's a major factor in determining when or where to buy or sell a home, according to Redfin.

Overall housing value growth remained steady in the fourth quarter with some states going way above the national average, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Home Price Index.

With inventory tight, roughly 80% of housing markets had purchase bidding competition in January and value appreciation is expected to increase in the coming months.

In nearly half of Opportunity Zones across the country, median home prices rose annually by more than the national average of 9.4% in the fourth quarter, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Low mortgage rates are setting the stage for growth, not just in refinancings, but in purchase volume as well during 2020, according to Ellie Mae.

Freddie Mac saw a decline in net profit in 2019 due to decreased interest rate income, lower amortization revenue and risk-reducing investment costs, but its consecutive-quarter results improved.

While boosting origination volume for lenders and providing financial benefits for borrowers, the refinance boom could have adverse effects down the road, according to TransUnion.