Finance

In a bitterly partisan Congress, two senators are making a rare push across party lines to solve a persistent riddle with huge implications for the U.S. housing market: What to do with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan said the central bank should roll off both mortgage-backed securities and Treasury holdings when it begins to let its balance sheet shrink.

Fannie Mae has obtained reinsurance for $510 million of credit losses on $20.4 billion of single-family residential mortgages through a pair of credit insurance risk transfer transactions.

Freddie Mac will soon allow automated underwriting of borrowers who lack scores but have other financial records.

Servicers are able to borrow more against their Ginnie Mae mortgage servicing rights as financing providers become more comfortable with the collateral.

Lennar Corp. reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates and said new orders increased, signaling the start to a strong spring selling season.

Shellpoint is marketing another offering of private-label mortgage bonds backed primarily by loans it acquired rather than loans originated by its own New Penn subsidiary.

With interest rates on the rise, analysts say the Fed could start shrinking its unprecedented $1.75 trillion position in mortgage-backed securities by year-end.

Wells Fargo's next offering of commercial mortgage bonds is unusually concentrated in a relatively small number of large loans, though many are high-quality properties located in strong markets.

A $165 million cash settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit that alleged investors were misled about the safety of mortgage-backed securities comprised of loans originated by now-defunct subprime lender NovaStar Mortgage Inc.

Industry critics argue the Invitation Homes deal will create new risks for Fannie Mae and remove affordable inventory from homebuyers.

The cuts punctuate the end to a rapid expansion period at the company, which now seems to be prioritizing profitability over growth.

Goldman Sachs is selling $1.02 billion of bonds refinancing the Blackstone Group's acquisition of the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower.

Banks that are customers of one or both vendors may look to leverage the situation to get better terms for certain products. But would small clients get enough attention from the global player the merger would create?

The private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners will acquire D+H in a deal valued at $3.57 billion.

Wall Street speculators are zeroing in on the next U.S. credit crisis: the mall.

Freddie Mac is considering backing loans that finance single-family rental homes for the first time, mirroring a controversial transaction that Fannie Mae disclosed in January.

Freddie Mac is preparing a transaction that transfers credit risk on $640 million of super-conforming residential mortgages.

Mill City Holdings is returning to market with its fourth securitization of reperforming residential mortgages, this time with a sliver of home equity lines of credit added to the mix of collateral.

The company also seems to be shifting the narrative to operational performance after addressing claims of questionable insider dealings.