GSEs

Servicers are still trying to figure out how they can best take advantage of the growing use of electronic notes and other digital mortgage tools by lenders and the secondary market.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had a 9% increase in total foreclosure prevention actions taken during 2017 as a result of three September hurricanes, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

News that the GSEs need an infusion from Treasury to cover quarterly losses underscores problems with the government’s 2012 decision to “sweep” the housing giants’ profits.

As policymakers take another crack at housing finance reform, federal leaders and the housing lobby are once again perpetuating the false notion that ending government guarantees would cause the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage to vanish.

A stronger than expected refinance market led Fannie Mae to increase its origination projections for the first quarter by nearly 4% in its March outlook.

Fannie Mae is about to roll out a new underwriting system that will address some concerns about layered risk that cropped up after it raised its maximum debt-to-income ratio.

Freddie Mac and Arch Capital are testing a new form of risk-sharing deal to boost investor appetite for low down payment mortgages. But the pilot is raising concerns about "charter creep" because it dictates private mortgage insurance decisions typically made by lenders.

A mortgage program created by a 2015 partnership between the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago and Ginnie Mae has securitized over $1 billion in government-backed mortgages, the partnership announced.

A late addition to regulatory relief legislation would direct the Federal Housing Finance Agency to review credit-scoring alternatives, but some say the provision is redundant.

February's volume of mortgage loan applications for newly constructed homes rose both year-over-year and month-to-month, continuing the momentum from a surprisingly strong showing in January.

If GSE reform leads to the 30-year mortgage's demise, homebuyers' monthly payments could soar by $400, according to a recent Zillow estimate. But lenders aren't convinced this housing finance staple is in any danger of being replaced.

Essent Guaranty is marketing $360.75 million of notes linked to the performance of a pool of residential mortgages that it insures; its following in the footsteps of Arch Capital.

The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. reported significant gains in new business volume, but also realized a big jump in 90-day delinquencies.

Loan program revisions made by one large conventional mortgage investor led to a decrease in total residential home finance credit availability in February.

A Senate proposal calling for a federal guarantee on mortgage-backed securities would only benefit the largest banks and increase the risk of bailouts.

The success of the government-sponsored enterprises' credit risk transfer programs shows that they can be the basis for housing finance reform.

Incenter Mortgage Advisors is putting up for bid a $712.8 million package of government-sponsored enterprise and Ginnie Mae mortgage servicing rights concentrated in the Southeast.

From investor angst to regulatory scrutiny, here's a look at three obstacles that must be addressed before Ocwen Financial can acquire PHH Mortgage.

NMI Holdings' common stock sale puts the company in a stronger position for future fundraising efforts, such as a now-delayed debt offering.

Freddie Mac is delaying the soft launch of its Phrase 3 updates to the Uniform Loan Delivery Dataset by a week.