Thu, Dec 30 2021, 11:12 AM
Do we have an 8-year memory in an industry with 10-year business cycles? Bridging the gap between affordability, qualifying with a low income, and ris...
Mon, Dec 27 2021, 11:09 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 12.0 percent in November compared to a 15.7 percen...
Mon, Dec 20 2021, 10:52 AM
W.C. Fields said, “Money will not buy happiness, but it will let you be unhappy in nice places.” Unfortunately, many people have much less of it, and ...
Thu, Dec 16 2021, 10:57 AM
Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are reminding homeowners and mortgage servicers that their disaster relief options are in effect for those affected by...
Mon, Nov 15 2021, 10:54 AM
This morning I head to Kansas for the MBAKC annual membership luncheon later this week. Home price appreciation is doing just fine in Kansas City , an...
Mon, Nov 1 2021, 1:18 PM
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) reported their respective third quarter 2021 financial results on Friday. Both posted significant increases in n...
Tue, Oct 26 2021, 10:49 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 17.4 percent in September compared to a 23.7 perce...
Wed, Oct 20 2021, 10:27 AM
Someone here in San Diego asked an audience, “Who out there misses their Blackberry?” and many raised their hands. Technology… an interesting thing. H...
Tue, Sep 21 2021, 11:34 AM
A cluster of stories about appraised values of homes in minority areas hit the national news earlier this summer and now Freddie Mac has released an a...
Thu, Sep 9 2021, 11:28 AM
The GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, will be required to submit Equitable Housing Finance Plans to their regulator the Federal Housing Finance Agency...
Wed, Sep 1 2021, 11:05 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 8.4 percent in July compared to a 12.9 percent gai...
Mon, Aug 23 2021, 10:49 AM
Fires in California, floods in Tennessee, hurricanes in New York, COVID hospitalizations seemingly everywhere written up by the press. The “fun” never...
Mon, Aug 9 2021, 10:47 AM
Last week I was in Orange County at the Insellerate Experience Summit 21, and this week I am 2,500 miles away in Orlando, FL at the Lenders One Summit...
Thu, Aug 5 2021, 4:47 PM
Freddie Mae has announced a new single-close mortgage product that will allow homeowners to finance the cost of small scale renovations. The CHOICERen...
Wed, Aug 4 2021, 4:17 PM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 12.9 percent in June compared to an 8.6 percent ga...
Fri, Jul 30 2021, 11:23 AM
Yesterday I received this note from Tennessee. “Rob, thank you for the commentary, as always. Among several noteworthy items in yesterday’s, one thing...
Wed, Jul 14 2021, 11:37 AM
Don’t think technology controls you? How about this news that Apple’s weather app will never show a temperature of 69 degrees ? Good mortgage loan ori...
Mon, Jun 28 2021, 11:38 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 8.6 percent in May compared to a 13.2 percent gain...
Thu, May 6 2021, 10:47 AM
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) have provided details for their streamlined refinance programs that were originally announced by the Federal Hou...
Tue, May 4 2021, 4:56 PM
The GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been given orders to develop so-called living wills. Such wills are credible resolution plans that outline ho...
Mon, May 3 2021, 12:18 PM
Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reported improved income during the first quarter of 2021. Fannie Mae said its net income increased from $4.57 billion...
Fri, Apr 30 2021, 10:55 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 27.2 percent in March compared to a 17.7 percent g...
Thu, Apr 29 2021, 10:36 AM
A “google” is the large number of 1 with 100 zeroes after it. For lenders, a billion is a large number, and it would be unheard of for a lender to sav...
Wed, Apr 28 2021, 12:05 PM
Earlier this month the Urban Institute pointed out that the unprecedented low interest rates of the pandemic era have not benefitted everyone. Their r...
Wed, Apr 14 2021, 1:39 PM
Freddie Mac's Economic and Housing Research Group finds a lot to like in the present economic environment. . The company's quarterly forecast credits ...
Mon, Apr 12 2021, 10:41 AM
Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) have released information to their lenders confirming that any loans they purchase after July 1, 2021 must ...
Mon, Mar 29 2021, 2:03 PM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 17.7 percent in February compared to a 16.1 percen...
Fri, Mar 12 2021, 9:56 AM
A year ago… remember when you couldn’t find toilet paper for sale? Now you can’t find a house for sale. But there are plenty of Agency MBS and other d...
Fri, Mar 5 2021, 11:54 AM
A new policy paper from the Urban Institute (UI) looks at the recent amendments to the senior preferred stock purchase agreement (PSPA) agreed to by o...
Fri, Feb 26 2021, 9:15 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 16.1 percent in January compared to a 22.4 percent...
Fri, Feb 26 2021, 9:11 AM
Deadlines for COVID-19 related relief for borrowers with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSE) mortgages were extended by the Federal Housing Finance Agenc...
Mon, Feb 1 2021, 11:08 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 22.4 percent in December compared to a 29.5 percen...
Fri, Jan 22 2021, 9:59 AM
This week Joe Exotic did not receive a presidential pardon, nor did mortgage rates move much versus last week, but there are still over 16 million ref...
Wed, Jan 20 2021, 9:14 AM
Late last week the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) agreed to amend the Preferred Stock Purcha...
Fri, Jan 15 2021, 10:02 AM
As Flagstar’s Marcus L. points out, “1999 doesn't sound like that long ago until you realize that people with a birth year starting with ‘2’ are start...
Wed, Dec 23 2020, 9:43 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 29.5 percent in November compared to a 25.7 percen...
Fri, Dec 18 2020, 10:44 AM
Freddie Mac is touting its readiness to transition from using the London Interbank Offered Rate or LIBOR to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR...
Thu, Dec 17 2020, 1:53 PM
In November, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released a new regulatory capital framework for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs). At the t...
Wed, Nov 25 2020, 11:47 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 25.7 percent in October compared to a 17.5 percent...
Wed, Nov 25 2020, 9:36 AM
Second only to the excitement of the new phone book coming, the new conforming loan limit is $548,250 for 2021 , up from $510,400 in 2020, and some in...
Mon, Nov 23 2020, 10:02 AM
Sunday morning I was trying to explain to my cat Myrtle how the total cost of rescuing a stranded Matt Damon in all of his films (think Saving Private...
Thu, Nov 12 2020, 11:08 AM
Tried and true has won out over shiny and new, at least when it comes to GSE credit scoring. And at least for the moment. The Federal Housing Finance ...
Fri, Oct 30 2020, 11:54 AM
Both GSEs reported financial results for the third quarter of 2020 that were significantly higher than both their Q2 2020 and their 2019 numbers . Fan...
Tue, Oct 27 2020, 11:00 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 17.5 percent in September compared to a 27.7 perce...
Tue, Oct 20 2020, 12:04 PM
Mark Calabria, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) used the annual convention and expo of the Mortgage Bankers Association to announ...
Fri, Sep 25 2020, 9:44 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 27.7 percent in August compared to a 20.0 percent ...
Wed, Sep 23 2020, 3:56 PM
Mark Calabria, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is stepping up his agency's actions to spring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSE...
Fri, Aug 28 2020, 11:13 AM
Both government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) have announced that their nationwide suspension of single-family foreclosures and evictions has been exte...
Thu, Aug 27 2020, 8:16 AM
While the Gulf Coast escaped the threat of two simultaneous hurricane hits, the remaining storm, Hurricane Laura, looks like an historically dangerous...
Thu, Aug 27 2020, 8:07 AM
Freddie Mac reported this week that its total mortgage portfolio increased at an annualized rate of 20.0 percent in July compared to a 14.2 percent ga...