GSEs

New research by The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia finds post-forbearance options falling short of payment-reduction goals set forth by FHFA and HUD.

Former FHFA director Mark Calabria said the mortgage market was a “ticking time bomb” on track for a 2008-like crisis. Other experts foresee a tamer end to the bull housing market.

Mark Calabria, who oversaw the two government giants under Trump and was fired by the Biden administration, said in a recent interview that the government-sponsored enterprises are once again at risk of insolvency.

Calls for “reform” in times of high liquidity ignore the scalability of the system, and the need to have it around in times of trouble.

Allowing VantageScore to compete in the mainstream mortgage market may help to close the racial homeownership and financial wealth gap by increasing homeownership opportunities for underserved populations, writes the president and CEO of HomeFree-USA.

Lawmakers during a committee meeting on senior housing doubled down on past arguments blaming investors and government spending for the nation’s tight market.

Current deputy general counsel Wendell Chambliss steps up to the newly created officer position, with the appointment coming after a similar recent hire by Fannie Mae.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have used the classic FICO score since 2003.

Affordable housing and legal expert Sharifa Anderson returns to the government-sponsored enterprise after prior roles at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and HUD.

In an open letter to Sandra L. Thompson, President Biden’s nominee for Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, two longtime advocates of the Federal Home Loan banks suggest a new path forward.

Former principal economist at the Federal Housing Finance Agency does the math on how the changes impact the missions of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

LoanLogics, a Sun Capital affiliate, has purchased LoanBeam, a company with approvals from major government-related housing finance investors to provide digital processing and income calculations for tax documents.

Chryssa Halley, who has been with the company since 2006, was named CFO and Jim Holmberg was named controller.

Demand for advances from the Home Loan banks has plummeted as the Federal Reserve has flooded the financial system with liquidity. But with a nudge from Congress, these government-sponsored enterprises could remain relevant by broadening their mission and opening membership to more lenders.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency should consider allowing small depositories — those defined by regulators to be below $10 billion in total assets — to again make use of structured transactions for seasoned, performing loans, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

More aggressive pursuit of government-related agencies’ affordable housing mission is expanding product availability, but government intervention can be a double-edged sword.

Numbers fell across all investor types, but exits hit their slowest pace since August.

Also, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae's securitization platform shuns private-label market, UniversalCIS and Credit Plus merge and Arizent research shows work remains to reach industry DEI goals.

Also, forbearances fall below 3%, Incenter offers Ginnie Mae MSRs and Democrats introduce a 20-year mortgage option.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency in the Trump administration had been preoccupied with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s capital position. Acting Director Sandra Thompson has shifted the agency’s focus to affordable housing and fair lending.