The Mortgage Bankers Association has published a primer to help commercial and multifamily lenders in the impending transition away from the London Interbank Offered Rate to an alternative rate index.

Elliott Management Corp., considered one of the largest activist funds in the world, is eyeing non-qualified mortgage securitizer Deephaven Mortgage for a possible acquisition, sources familiar with the matter told Inside MBS & ABS.

Approval of new MBS issuers by Ginnie Mae fell drastically in 2018. Data provided by the agency showed that only eight out of 28 applications received last year were approved. In the year before, Ginnie approved 22 out of 31 applications.

In a bid to expand its access to rental housing credit, Redwood Trust last week announced plans to partner on a deal to acquire up to $1 billion in whole loans from Freddie Mac.

Several high-profile civil rights groups this week threw cold water on Sen. Mike Crapo’s plan to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying it would weaken regulation of the government-sponsored enterprises and increase the cost of homeownership.

A new outline on housing-finance reform from Sen. Mike Crapo, R-ID, hands over management of the conventional mortgage market to Ginnie Mae, begging the question: Is Ginnie up to the task?

New production of single-family MBS started the new year on a downbeat, with combined issuance by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae slipping to $80.72 billion in January, ac-cording to a new Inside MBS & ABS ranking and analysis. [Includes two data charts.]

California-based Sabal Capital Partners, one of the earliest partners in Freddie Mac’s Small Balance Loan Program, broke a record this month when it sold the enterprise a portfolio of 39 small-balance loans worth $189 million. All the underlying properties are in East Harlem.

Fannie Mae stepped up its efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, announcing earlier this week that it was increasing the loan limit for multifamily small mortgage loans from $3 million to $6 million.

Freddie Mac announced late last month that it had closed a deal with RBC Capital Markets to create a $180 million low-income housing tax credit fund. The fund, Freddie’s fourth LIHTC deal since re-entering the market last year after a decade’s absence, has already made several investments.