Fannie Eyes Streamlined ARM Refi

Fannie Mae is working with lenders to develop a streamlined refinancing process for borrowers who want to bail out of adjustable-rate mortgages.Rising short-term interest rates and borrower awareness of the risks associated with interest-only and option-payment ARMs is creating the potential for a major shift to fixed-rate loans or safer hybrid ARMs, according to Fannie Mae executive vice president Tom Lund. "A lot of our largest partners are talking about trying to create a streamlined capability to take some of these ARM borrowers back into a fixed-rate or longer-term hybrids, maybe with an IO feature," Mr. Lund told a Morgan Stanley housing conference. "They see that as the next big trend." He noted that Fannie Mae might not be able to purchase some of the newly refinanced loans. But the secondary-market agency is working with its customers to try to make such refinancings easier for lenders and consumers. Fannie Mae can be found online at http://www.fanniemae.com.