Secondary markets

The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Wednesday officially increased the target for loans purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that benefit affordable housing, but the uptick is not satisfying housing advocates.

Sabal Financial Group has put a $541 million portfolio of real estate loans up for sale.

Mortgage lending to low-income families could increase slightly under a plan by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt.

Fannie Mae has closed a credit risk-sharing transaction, with an international reinsurance company participating in this type of deal for the first time.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's decisions to make their automated underwriting systems free to use will feed more data to the GSEs, but do little to better serve lenders and borrowers.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have a regulatory mandate to shrink. But that's easier said than done, given the GSEs' outsized presence in the mortgage industry, as their latest quarterly results show.

Ginnie Mae guaranteed $47.1 billion of mortgage-backed securities in July, setting a monthly record.

Four more Federal Home Loan Banks have won regulatory approval to participate in a program that allows member institutions to sell jumbo mortgage loans through a conduit to Redwood Trust.

Freddie Mac has begun an auction of delinquent nonperforming loans serviced by Ocwen Financial.

It was a small deal — about 220 U.S. home loans packaged into a $72 million bond offering — but it's looking like a post-crisis milestone.

Banks that sold faulty mortgage-backed securities right before the crisis have suffered a string of legal defeats over the timing of government lawsuits, but some experts believe the industry may still have a shot in the Supreme Court.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is expected to issue a proposal soon that would require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase manufactured housing loans from lenders.

Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago has agreed to acquire Oak Grove Commercial Mortgage, to expand its debt-finance offerings.

New Residential Investment Corp., real estate investment trusts, residential mortgage bonds, mortgage servicing rights

Farmer Mac reported a higher second-quarter profit, citing an increase in the value of financial derivatives and hedged assets.

Freddie Mac has appointed Arbor Commercial Mortgage as its latest seniors housing lender, the Uniondale, N.Y.-based mortgage company said Monday.

Shellpoint Partners is preparing to issue its first private-label residential mortgage-backed security since walking away from its last deal in 2013.

PennyMac Mortgage Financial Services reported a rise in income on higher servicing and origination revenue.

Essent Guaranty did $7.23 billion of new insurance written in the second quarter, the second highest volume in the company's brief existence.

Consumers have soured on the housing market as more people hold a negative perspective regarding their personal finances and the overall economy, Fannie Mae reported in its July 2015 National Housing Survey.