Fannie Mae

Mortgage lenders are optimistic about their business prospects during this spring's home purchase season even with the negative sentiments about demand in the previous three months, Fannie Mae said.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association approved changes to its good delivery guidelines that ease the path to the government-sponsored enterprises issuing uniform mortgage-backed securities starting on June 3.

American Banker and National Mortgage News are offering an exclusive discussion of how policymakers may revamp Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and what that will mean for mortgage lenders of all sizes.

Agency mortgage-backed security prepayment speeds increased in February with much of the refinance activity coming from newer loans and those with high coupons, a report from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods said.

Mark Calabria, who could be confirmed as early as this month, is expected to focus on changes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s conservatorships to let the mortgage giants keep more of their profits.

Consumers have much more confidence in the job market than they do on housing, and home prices could be the culprit, according to Fannie Mae.

Berkadia, a joint venture run by Berkshire Hathaway and Jefferies Financial Group, is acquiring real estate capital advisory firm Central Park Capital Partners to diversify its capital sources.

AI Foundry is aiming to further cut the time it takes to originate a mortgage by adding artificial intelligence tools designed to improve on optical character recognition.

Freddie Mac closed its fifth LIHTC fund since 2018 and will make three investments in affordable housing through a partnership with National Equity Fund.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and 26 other groups warned the agency not to pursue steps reducing the scope of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could upset the mortgage market.

Fannie Mae's serious delinquency rate stood firm for the third month running, adding to evidence that it has hit a floor after dropping for most of the past year.

Community banks and credit unions fear a Senate plan and other legislative ideas will nullify steps taken by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that have made it easier for smaller institutions to compete.

The new regulation, codifying requirements already in practice, is meant to help the mortgage giants prepare for the adoption of a uniform security in June.

Being too dependent on the automated underwriting tools created by the government-sponsored enterprises to originate loans underlying private-label mortgage-backed securitizations could negatively affect their credit quality, a report from Moody's said.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is streamlining its Ginnie Mae holdings by combining mortgage-backed securities with similar characteristics into larger pass-through instruments.

The Senate Banking Committee's vote on Mark Calabria's nomination to lead the agency comes amid speculation about congressional and administrative GSE reform plans.

As expected economic growth remains at 2.2% — down from 2018's 3.1% — 2019 should only be accompanied by a solitary rate hike from the Federal Reserve, according to Fannie Mae.

Refinance volume slipped following growth in mortgage rates, and loans refinanced through the Home Affordable Housing Program barely made a dent in overall volume, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The government-sponsored enterprises are going through a transition period. From proposals for rebuilding their capital cushions to tackling shortages in affordable housing, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac face a number of key challenges with wide-ranging consequences this year.

The administration’s choice to regulate the government-sponsored enterprises appeared to distance himself from speculation that the White House may try to overhaul housing finance without legislation.