GSEs

Fannie and Freddie's regulator says the companies must comply with the new Qualified Mortgage standard by the summer, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has extended the deadline to 2022. The conflicting timetables have stoked uncertainty in the market.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is calling for input on how to better safeguard against potential lending risks associated with residential buildings filled with short-term rental units.

While cash-out refinances were a “significant driver” of risky loans leading to the Great Recession, those mortgages pose less of a threat due to tighter underwriting standards, according to Milliman.

Hedge accounting will align Fannie’s reporting with competitor Freddie Mac, and will address a mismatch between the recorded value of financial instruments used to offset interest-rate volatility on mortgages and the loans themselves.

Only $89 billion of the $362 billion in new single-family volume came from purchase mortgages.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has moved ahead with an earlier proposal to postpone the full adoption of the qualified-mortgage ability-to-repay rule, citing a need to maximize borrowers' credit access.

It would be available to homeowners making 80% or less of their area’s median income who weren't eligible to tap into low rates last year.

System updates, which may be a result of changes to the Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements, have Community Home Lenders Association members saying loans that were approved previously are getting rejected when put back through.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s new limits on loans secured by investor properties and second homes may put pressure on applicants to misrepresent their occupancy status.

Long-term home-based operations are more likely than they were prior in March of last year, but some origination and servicing professionals will return to the office, a recent survey suggests.