Capital markets

Even while FHFA finally embarked on a principal reduction plan, critics argued it was a dangerous idea that made Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac less safe while helping relatively few people.

The U.S. government's 2012 decision to take all the profits from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will get a federal appellate review Friday when investors argue the appropriation was illegal.

PNC Financial Services said its residential mortgage business lost $13 million in the first quarter due to its servicing portfolio hedging activities and lower loan sales income.

Kroll Bond Rating Agency added its voice to the chorus of credit rating agencies downplaying the risks of mortgages that fail to comply with new consumer disclosure rules.

FHFA Director Mel Watt acknowledged that the principal reduction program may seem "too small and too late."

Total mortgage income at B of A was $433 million, down from $694 million a year ago as the strategy of putting loans on its balance sheet meaning the bank gets less gain-on-sale revenue.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac surged to four-month highs on speculation lawsuits involving the mortgage giants have progressed in a way that favors shareholders.

Fannie Mae has priced a $1.15 billion credit-risk sharing transaction through its Connecticut Avenue Securities series.

Radian Guaranty's new reinsurance agreement will only cover single-premium mortgage insurance policies, a first for the company. These policies have higher capital requirements under the new secondary market standards.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau faced hostile questions from two judges during oral arguments before a federal appeals court Tuesday as it sought to argue the constitutionality of its single-director structure in a lawsuit brought by nonbank mortgage lender PHH Corp.

Hint: businesses should be focused on data strategy and security, from the individual up to the enterprise level.

An Altisource Residential Corp. affiliate is taking management's side in the real estate investment trust’s fight with activist investors.

New lender disclosure requirements aren't just disrupting the market for private-label mortgage bonds; they could also impact the market for bonds that transfer credit risk of mortgages insured by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private sector.

Annaly Capital Management, the largest real estate investment trust that buys mortgage debt, agreed to purchase Hatteras Financial Corp. for $1.5 billion as the company expands its property business.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments Tuesday about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's structure, in a case that has national implications. Even though a ruling isn't expected until the end of the year, legal experts say there are four major legal issues involved.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's experiments with selling credit risk to investors are a critical element of new plan to merge the two entities and move them out of conservatorship, but what form so-called credit risk transfers take could make a big difference.

The housing market has been improving but mortgage credit remains "stubbornly" tight on loans bought by the government-sponsored enterprises, according to a chief housing adviser at the White House.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week not to review a mortgage-backed securities lawsuit renewed interest in a long-brewing legal conflict over the mandate of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act.

After nearly 20 years of talk, the time for e-closings is finally here, thanks to a push from government regulators and a broad shift in acceptance across demographics.

The agency's insurance-rate cut could spur the rehab of thousands of affordable units, but it's far from a total solution, housing advocates say.