Loan Think

The Fed may be the big factor in the massive fluctuations seen daily in the TBA markets, but traders and credit analysts now also fear a new problem in the heretofore peaceful world of Ginnie Mae, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Investor activity in the housing market has had a nominal impact on the cost of housing, the head of the National Rental Home Council writes, citing research by one of the government-sponsored enterprises. Supply-demand imbalance is the primary driver of price appreciation, he argues.

"To talk about 95% of issuers by count being compliant without recognizing that a very large number of issuers hold few MSRs is disingenuous," one industry executive told the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

The country's largest banks should deepen partnerships with minority depository institutions and community development financial institutions, and regulators should facilitate that process.

After 90 years, it is time to examine whether the system is still fulfilling its intended mission to provide liquidity for its members to make mortgages.

Financial downturns hit lower-wealth communities first and cause them to suffer the longest.

Ginnie Mae has constructed a perfectly counter-cyclical capital regime that would crush the government loan market if left unaltered, the chair of Whalen Global Advisors writes.

As the GSEs enter their 15th year in conservatorship, shareholders are wondering when they'll get their company back.

Traditional metrics provide limited insight as to whether a portfolio is on its way to reperformance, so instead of tracking things like calls per employee, measure the number of homeowners helped.

Privately funded down payment assistance programs help address the racial wealth gap in a safe and responsible fashion, leaders of the Cedar Band of Paiutes, the Lower Brule Sioux and the Rosebud Sioux write.