Standard & Poor’s Rating Services has revised its outlook for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle to “stable” from “negative,” S&P announced two weeks ago. S&P said its revision reflects “significantly reduced losses within the bank’s private-label mortgage-backed securities portfolio and strengthening capital.”

More than a year after it was issued under court-ordered duress, the Federal Housing Finance Agency has withdrawn its proposed rule concerning Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac underwriting standards related to mortgages affected by Property Assessed Clean Energy programs. Local governments use the PACE Program, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2008, to provide financing secured by a priority lien on the property to homeowners for the purchase of energy-related home improvements. While 27 states and the District of Columbia have legislation in place to permit PACE financing for “green” homes, in July 2010 Fannie and Freddie stopped purchasing PACE-related mortgages that had automatic first-lien priority over previously recorded mortgages.

The Senate opted to leave town this week for its five-week August recess without calling a vote on President Obama’s nominee to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Two weeks ago, Rep. Mel Watt’s nomination cleared the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee along a straight party-line vote, with some key Republicans vowing to block the North Carolina Democrat’s confirmation. Until the mid-week announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, that Watt’s nomination would not be taken up for debate before Congress returns from its recess on September 9, Capitol Hill watchers were wary of another potential nomination showdown between Dems and the GOP.

Fannie Mae has selected National Mortgage Insurance Corp. to insure a pool of approximately $5.0 billion of mortgages as the GSE looks to expand its risk sharing with private firms, the mortgage insurer announced this week.The Emeryville, CA-based unit of NMI Holdings explained that the transaction was offered through a formal bid process to private mortgage insurers.“Fannie Mae selected National MI as the insurer based on its favorable terms and conditions, and beneficial risk-share attributes,” said National MI.

The Securities and Exchange Commission prevailed Thursday in its case against Fabrice Tourre, a former vice president at Goldman Sachs. The regulator also plans to increase enforcement against Wall Street...

The Senate opted to leave town this week for its five-week August recess without calling a vote on President Obama’s nominee to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Two weeks ago, Rep. Mel Watt’s...

House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-TX, and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-CA, sent a letter to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director...

Industry analysts predict that Freddie Mac’s recently announced deal to shed some of the credit risk of the mortgages it guarantees to the private sector could provide the template for a broader risk-sharing program for both GSEs and opens the door for potentially promising policy implications. The $500 million offering of Structured Agency Credit Risk securities, which Freddie priced last week, aims to diminish taxpayer risk while introducing more private capital into the market. Due to investor demand, the size of the offering was increased from $400 million to $500 million, and about 50 broadly-diversified investors participated in the offering, including mutual funds, hedge funds, REITs, pension funds, banks, insurance companies and credit unions, according to Freddie CEO Donald Layton.

Mortgage lenders saw a noticeable decline in refinancing of underwater Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages during the second quarter of 2013, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of mortgage-backed...

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. would be prohibited from repudiating covered bonds when resolving a failed banking institution under the provisions of a controversial housing reform bill put...