Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are continuing to work on revised eligibility standards for mortgage insurance companies that likely will reduce the 25-to-1 maximum risk-to-capital ratio enjoyed by guarantors that cover their loans. Some type of guidance is expected, at least from one of the GSEs, by the end of October.

The 12 Federal Home Loan Banks saw a hefty 9.6 percent increase in the volume of advances outstanding during the second quarter of 2013, but the outlook for the FHLBank’s primary money-maker remains cloudy. (Includes one data chart.)

The common securitization platform project being overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency has picked the Maryland suburb of Bethesda as its home, according to industry officials briefed on the situation.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency this week issued a final rule requiring annual stress tests for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, as mandated under the Dodd-Frank Act.

Fannie Mae’s inadequate internal controls on outsourced servicer reimbursements – and late-to-the-party oversight by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – cost the GSE $89 million in overpayments last year, according to a recent report by the FHFA Office of Inspector General.

Will the White House ask Freddie to fork over its deferred tax assets? Holders of "junior preferred" and common class GSE stock hope to increase the value of their holdings. Fannie Mae kills its inactivity fee. And Fannie hires a manager for its part of the Common Securitization Platform.

If the U.S. defaults on its debt payments, will mortgage rates go sky high? Meanwhile, will JPM rescure FHA?

Despite recovering house values in most markets, insufficient collateral remained the biggest obstacle for consumers trying to get mortgage financing in 2012, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. In virtually every category of the market, loan applicants were more successful in getting approved for a mortgage last year than they were back in 2011, the HMDA data show. Some 15.5 percent of loan applicants were turned down last year ... [Includes one data chart]

Bank of America and its acquired headache, Countrywide, accounted for the biggest chunk of mortgage repurchases from the government-sponsored enterprises during the first half of the year, but the focus shifted to different lenders during the second quarter. A new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of repurchase disclosures made by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shows that BofA repurchased $8.73 billion in mortgages – most of them originated by Countrywide – during the first six months of 2013 ... [Includes one data chart]

Rising home prices and interest-rate trends continue to decrease purchase-mortgage affordability for potential homebuyers. However, industry analysts note that mortgage affordability is still historically high and could soon improve. The 20-city S&P/Case-Shiller home price index increased by 1.8 percent in July compared with the previous month, according to the latest data released this week. On a year-over-year basis, the index was up by 12.4 percent. The home-price gains indicate a ...