Freddie Mac

Despite a drop in multifamily loan volume, industrial, health care, office and retail originations pushed overall multifamily and commercial mortgage lending to unprecedented heights, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage rates continued their slide this week, which along with positive economic news should continue to pump up purchase demand, according to Freddie Mac.

The U.S. mortgage insurance business remained a bright spot for Genworth Financial, as fourth quarter adjusted operating income increased 29% and new insurance written rose nearly 95% over the prior year.

In letters to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, six Democrats asked how the mortgage giants are factoring extreme weather into their risk modeling.

With policymakers focused on ending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s conservatorship, their regulator is reorganizing key units and adding staff to position itself for the long term.

Now that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it will scrap an unpopular standard for so-called qualified mortgages, the big question is what will take its place.

The regulator said the investment bank and financial services company will help in the process of strengthening Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s capital standing for their eventual exit from conservatorship.

Mortgage rates continued sliding this week as investors put money into safer assets like bonds, contributing to the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropping 9 basis points, according to Freddie Mac.

FICO plans to release a new suite of scores that could reduce defaults on newly originated mortgages by 17%, but home lenders may not use it unless the government-sponsored enterprises do.

Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level in three months, possibly because investors became nervous following the spread of a coronavirus in China and elsewhere.

Trade associations representing mortgage lenders and securities market participants are asking the Federal Housing Finance Agency to rethink a plan to restrict pooling options for loans sold into uniform mortgage-backed securities.

The agency is sending a strong message that it won't rush to end an exemption for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while also signaling longer-term changes that will affect all lenders.

Director Kathy Kraninger has told lawmakers that the agency will delay the expiration of the so-called QM patch, now set for January 2021.

Mortgage rates for the most part were stable this past week as the markets looked warily at economic and geopolitical events, according to Freddie Mac.

Fannie Mae is sponsoring a $1.03B CRT transaction, while Caliber Homes Loans, New Residential and Onslow Bay fill the non-QM pipeline

The U.S. Supreme Court may soon decide if it will intervene in a high-stakes fight over the government-sponsored enterprise net worth sweep.

Mortgage rates fell to their lowest level since October as the financial markets reacted to rising tensions caused by the U.S. government's killing of an Iranian general, Freddie Mac said.

Getting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship has been an elusive goal. It will remain elusive, says DeMarco, in the absence of broader reform of housing finance, something that will require bipartisan support.

Borrower education stands as a barrier to homeownership for younger consumers and Freddie Mac is trying to change that.

The FHFA’s attempt to move some of its balance sheet into the private sector could leave investors with greater liabilities than they were initially told.