Fannie Mae

It's a critical time in Washington, with many key institutions in the mortgage and housing industries getting new leaders. At the Mortgage Bankers Association, there's a renewed focus on maintaining effective influence with decision makers on initiatives like housing finance reform, innovation and the evolving needs of home buyers.

Hurricane Michael is putting mortgage transactions with a combined value of over $400 million in jeopardy, according to ClosingCorp estimates.

Rising interest rates, both current and the prospect for future increases, took a toll on consumers' outlook on the housing market during September, according to Fannie Mae.

Fannie Mae has appointed Hugh Frater, a member of its board of directors, to serve as its interim chief executive officer after Timothy Mayopoulos steps down next week, the company said in a statement on Monday.

Hiring by nonbank mortgage lenders and brokers reversed course again and got slightly higher in August as originators made a last-ditch effort to reach seasonal homebuyers before fall.

Movement Mortgage, citing the continuing deterioration of the housing market, is eliminating approximately 180 back office positions on Oct. 5.

Some lenders are tapping artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve operational efficiency and enhance the borrower experience, but complexities do exist in implementing the technology.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issued new capital requirements for private mortgage insurers that will create big swings in carriers' asset reserves.

After a run-up in the latter half of last year, delinquencies on mortgages sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac look fairly stable for the time being.

As the House Financial Services Committee prepares to hold a hearing Thursday on oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the exact focus of the hearing remains somewhat in flux.

Lower corporate tax rates weakened the incentive for developers to use the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which could prompt affordable housing construction to fall by as much as 40% by 2022, according to data aggregator Reis.

Fannie Mae will add an appraisal waiver option for mortgages in regions that its Duty to Serve program designates as high-needs rural areas, but only if home inspections are completed instead.

The CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are stepping down because the job they were hired to do — return the GSEs to profitability — is done. But attracting top-flight candidates to lead the mortgage giants into a new phase may not be easy.

Brian Brooks, the mortgage giant's general counsel, is leaving this week to head the legal team at Coinbase.

More buyers could be in the market for new homes as housing authorizations and maintenance volume increased while remodels fell, according to BuildFax.

While new-home construction and sales should rise in the next 18 months, next year's mortgage origination volume estimate was cut slightly as the economy is expected to slow down soon, said Fannie Mae.

A decade after the credit crisis, investors are returning to where it all began. The mortgage sector, blamed in large part for the near-collapse of the global financial system, is now seen by many as a high-quality market forged by fire.

The agency’s director has been under pressure to quit as he is investigated for sexual harassment allegations, but an agency spokesperson says he still plans to testify at a housing finance hearing slated for later this month.

While the severity of Florence was reduced prior to Friday morning's landfall, mortgage servicers are taking proactive steps in addressing the emergency situation.

The federal conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was never supposed to be permanent. Leaving the situation unresolved keeps the agencies undercapitalized and taxpayers exposed to their risk.