Secondary markets

The Federal Housing Finance Agency provided more details Friday about key features for the new single security that will be issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Lenders are heading into the MBA's Secondary Market Conference with stronger origination volumes and secondary market relationships than last year. But how long will these volumes last and how can the industry make the most of them?

Long before regulators put the spotlight on servicing-rights transfers, there were signs that many deals weren't going smoothly, leaving both borrowers and investors at risk.

Fannie Mae has created a new financing option for multifamily properties looking to undergo energy- and water-cost saving improvements.

Small loan amounts are offered at more expensive rates than those of higher amounts, according to an analysis of loan requests and quotes on Zillow Mortgages.

Other regional Federal Home Loan Banks are lining up so their members can securitize FHA and VA loans through Chicago FHLB conduit.

Issuance of securities without government backing tied to homeowners with weak credit records or other imperfections has been frozen since 2008.

It's not clear how much capital European insurers will need to hold against their investments in U.S. securitizations or whether they can even invest in some of these deals at all.

The Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp.'s net earnings rose in the first quarter to $13.3 million, more than seven times higher than its income of $1.8 million during the same period in 2014.

More lenient capital requirements than expected from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were good news for two legacy private mortgage insurers, but another is facing a bigger deficit than initially thought.

Nomura Holdings Inc. and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc engaged in "enormous" deception in selling defective mortgage-backed securities, a judge ruled following a trial over a trigger to the 2008 financial crisis.

A lot of bankers want on-balance-sheet mortgages declared ultrasafe under federal rules, and Wells Fargo executive Brad Blackwell explains why he thinks it's in their self-interest more than ever to live up to their arguments in favor of such a policy.

Trading of securities backed by Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie is down sharply since the beginning of the year. Bankers' concerns about capital and rates are among the reasons, and the problem may ultimately make the underlying market for mortgages less liquid.

Investor-owned ratings agencies would send a message to mutual fund shareholders, retirement plan participants and other investors that steps have been taken to avoid repeating the inaccurate ratings that contributed so heavily to the financial crisis.

Commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations in the first quarter were up 49% year over year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Fannie and Freddie will have more room to finance affordable rental housing, but it is unclear if it's enough to prevent possible disruptions later this year.

Fannie Mae reported net interest income of $5.1 billion in the first quarter, over half of which came from guarantee fees rather than its investment portfolio.

Conforming loan rates hit their highest levels in two months during the first week of May, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

Fannie Mae will pay the Treasury Department $1.8 billion after reporting net income of $1.9 billion for the first quarter.

The Boston and San Francisco Home Loan banks are poised to join the MPF Direct program, which allows FHLB members to sell jumbo loans to Redwood Trust.