Freddie Mac

Lower-than-expected rates will drive mortgage production this year, but they’ll have less of an impact in 2021.

Forbearance rates dropped below 7% for the first time in six months, but the decrease is largely due to the ending of the initial six-month term of forbearance granted by the legislation, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Expected to make landfall as a Category 2 storm, Hurricane Delta's surge is estimated to cause damage to 293,685 residential properties across Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, according to CoreLogic.

The expanded relief on tax income data will become accessible this fall, according to a press release LoanBeam issued this week during Freddie Mac's Connect client conference.

Mortgage rates remained flat this week, a sign that the bottom has possibly been reached, but the housing market looks to remain strong for the near future, according to Freddie Mac.

GSE mortgages in forbearance fell for the 17th straight week, spearheading the overall downtrend, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The government-sponsored enterprise's first multifamily sustainability bond transaction, totaling $600 million, is part of Freddie's K-Deal program.

Mortgage rates fell back toward their all-time low this week, increasing purchasing power for homebuyers. But the lack of homes for sale drives up prices and reduces affordability, according to Freddie Mac.

Student housing and assisted/independent living centers were small portions of Freddie's multifamily securitizations prior to COVID, but Kroll noticed they've been missing in most rated deals since spring.

Approximately 75% of the quarter-to-quarter growth came from multifamily mortgage originations.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council said the mortgage giants may need a bigger capital cushion than their regulator has proposed, but stopped short of designating them as “systemically important financial institutions.”

Mortgage rates experienced a marginal uptick this week, rising three basis points. But they remained near record lows and possibly soon could track down again, according to Freddie Mac.

Remote, homeowner-assisted appraisals used amid the coronavirus could be a useful tool post-pandemic, in limited circumstances.

Mortgage rates remained relatively flat, rising a single basis point off of last week's record low, according to Freddie Mac.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been slammed for planning an additional refinancing charge to cover COVID-related losses, but the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency defended the policy in House testimony.

The government-sponsored enterprise’s seller/servicer guide is now integrated into the online portal. Freddie also improved the readability of loan-level reporting it provides, and has further changes in the works.

After flattening over the three prior weeks, the number of loans going into coronavirus-related forbearance dove at a rate not seen since early August, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage rates fell 7 basis points this week to yet another record low in the 49-year history of the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, as stock market indicators sank during the period.

"The current economic crisis continues to disproportionately impact borrowers with FHA and VA loans," said Mike Fratantoni, the MBA's senior vice president and chief economist.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's proposal could undermine the companies’ mission to support the housing market and penalize consumers in underserved communities, industry and consumer groups say.