Fannie Mae

The government-sponsored enterprises transferred $5.5 billion of credit risk on $174 billion of mortgages in their portfolios during the first quarter.

Policymakers should differentiate between housing finance-related issues of real importance to the greater public interest, and those that concern only special interests.

While Freddie Mac is moving cautiously into buying manufactured housing loans not secured by land, Fannie Mae is moving more aggressively. Industry representatives are divided on which approach is superior.

Rather than working with large-scale investors, Freddie Mac said it will focus on assisting community organizations and local institutions to fund single-family properties for renters with special needs.

It’s a very large number for any bank, but Bank of America executives said the move makes good economic sense and promotes relationship-building with customers.

The discounts that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac used to offer large originators for selling them bulk bundles of mortgages continue to haunt small lenders, who worry a new housing finance system could revive the practice.

Fannie Mae is increasing the maximum debt-to-income ratio it will allow on purchased loans to 50% from 45% on single-family loans when it rolls out its latest version of Desktop Underwriter on July 29.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has added three categories to the list of protected classes under equal opportunity employment and inclusion rules for regulated entities.

Property Assessed Clean Energy loans can no longer be offered in unincorporated areas of Kern County, Calif. The controversial loans, meant to promote energy efficiency, began in California and are now offered in a number of states.

To close gaps in volume caused by inventory shortages and help consumers get over the homeownership hump, lenders are offering mortgage programs and features like low down payments, bridge loans for home sellers and student loan refinancing. (Part two in a four-part series on the mortgage industry's response to the housing inventory shortage.)

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's efforts to provide representation and warranty relief to lenders that perform automated data validations before loans close will improve mortgage credit risk assessment and lower costs for lenders and borrowers.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group agreed to pay $5.5 billion to settle the second of three major U.S. mortgage-backed securities probes the government-owned lender must overcome before it can fully return to the private sector.

Employment among nonbank lenders and mortgage brokers grew in May, marking the third straight month of employment gains at a time when housing inventory is tight, refinancing has slowed and home prices are rising.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Jerome Powell stopped short of endorsing any single housing finance reform plan, but called on lawmakers to resolve what he described as the biggest unfinished business of the crisis.

PHH Corp. transferred ownership of the largest chunk of its remaining mortgage servicing rights — its Fannie Mae portfolio — to New Residential Investment Corp.

From the largest banks to the smallest independents, policymakers want to hear the mortgage industry speak with one voice in the critical efforts to reform the government-sponsored enterprises.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency made just incremental changes to two of the seven affordable housing benchmarks.

The Senate is set to begin teeing up housing finance reform discussions at a Banking Committee hearing on Thursday, but many are skeptical that Congress will be able to succeed where it has failed in the past.

Mortgage lender credit standards eased during the second quarter as purchase volume was lower than expected and competition increased, according to the Fannie Mae Lender Sentiment Survey.