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Due to COVID-19's economic impact, the number of mortgaged properties in default or foreclosure rose in March for the first time since the turn of the century, according to Black Knight.

Low mortgage rates increased new orders, but fallout from the pandemic hurt investment income.

The bipartisan coalition of AGs said homeowners should be allowed to wait until the end of a loan term to make payments they skipped because of the coronavirus.

Mortgage rates were little changed this week as the markets reacted positively to various economic measures coming out of Washington, according to Freddie Mac.

The policy move will allow small institutions participating in the Paycheck Protection Program to pledge business loans as collateral to obtain advances.

Financial institutions could testify before the bipartisan commission overseeing the unprecedented economic aid for industries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. But without subpoena authority, the panel’s impact may be limited.

Treating COVID-19 forbearances as a natural disaster will likely mean the MIs will not need to hold as much capital.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has promised to take care of advances on principal and interest payments for coronavirus forbearances after four months, but servicers remain concerned about other responsibilities.

The FHFA will allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for a limited time, to purchase loans for which the borrower has sought to postpone payments because of the economic effects of the coronavirus.

Mortgage fraud risk plummeted in the first quarter of 2020 amid historically low mortgage rates and a boom of refinances, but the coronavirus could create a new set of risks, according to CoreLogic.

Mortgage applications decreased 0.3% from one week earlier, although purchase activity was higher for the first time in six weeks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Sales of previously owned homes dropped in March by the most since November 2015, representing weaker demand that likely is going to get much worse in coming months as the pandemic bears down on the economy.

Efforts to calm lenders’ fears about coronavirus-related forbearance may not offset tightening standards, and the FHA is less likely to boost volume than it was during the financial crisis.

Separate reports from Radian and Redfin show home values rose during March despite a slowdown in sales, but that is likely to change as shelter-in-place orders affect the real estate markets.

The agency said it is aligning policies for Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-backed loans in forbearance so that servicers are only responsible for advancing four months of missed payments.

Future loss mitigation may be most effective if housing-finance industry stakeholders communicate clearly with consumers about these five aspects of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

While much is unknown about how badly the coronavirus pandemic has damaged Southern Nevada's economy, one economist doesn't foresee a major housing market crisis here.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's regulator is confronting a fresh crisis for the U.S. housing market: The companies won't buy recently issued loans that were made to borrowers who already can't afford their monthly payments because of coronavirus.

Surging unemployment from COVID-19 shutdowns brought a rapidly rising tide of forbearance requests, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Federal backing for firms facing a deluge of missed mortgage payments is still on the table despite recent comments by an official who questioned the need to help the industry.