Some 50 percent of registered voters view Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac negatively, according to a new survey by the Tarrance Group on behalf of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The national survey of registered “likely” voters found that Fannie held a 51 percent unfavorable to 22 percent favorable impression among voters surveyed while Freddie’s numbers were just as dour – 50 percent unfavorable to 17 percent favorable.

Fannie Mae’s short list to replace its outgoing chief executive has been narrowed down to two finalists – one leading candidate from within and another from outside the company. A source familiar with the inner workings of the company confirms published reports that Timothy Mayopoulos, Fannie’s chief administrative officer and general counsel, is the leading candidate among the GSE’s CEO search party.The company is also looking at S.A. Ibrahim, CEO of Philadelphia-based mortgage insurer Radian Group, as a strong contender for the top job.

It’s far too early for lawmakers to entertain another expansion of the Home Affordable Refinance Program given that the most recent tweak to the program, HARP 2.0, only just recently became fully active, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The FHFA has maintained that HARP 2.0 remains a work in progress given the revamped program’s graduated rollout of changes, but this week the Finance Agency said a proposed bill in the Senate to create HARP 3.0 would only get in the way. “The initial results on the enhanced HARP program show that it is working, and new legislation at this time would slow down that progress,” said FHFA Senior Associate Director for Housing and Regulatory Policy Meg Burns.

Eight members of California’s congressional delegation, both Republicans and Democrats, have filed a bill to preclude Golden State foreclosed homes owned by Fannie Mae from being sold to large investors under a fledgling pilot program championed by the GSE’s regulator. Filed last week by Republican Rep. Gary Miller, H.R. 5823, the Saving Taxpayers from Unnecessary GSE Bulk Sale Programs Act of 2012, would prohibit the Federal Housing Finance Agency from implementing its initiative to sell Fannie’s real estate-owned properties to California institutional investors. The bill has the strong backing of both the California Association of Realtors and its Washington, DC-based affiliate, the National Association of Realtors.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities remained the preferred investment choice of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks during the first quarter of 2012, with a modest increase from the previous quarter, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside The GSEs based on data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Meanwhile, Ginnie Mae securities posted a decline within the FHLBank system during the first three months of the year. GSE MBS accounted for 70.7 percent of combined FHLBank MBS portfolios, up 2.3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011. The Finance Agency’s data do not separately break out Fannie and Freddie volume or share.

A bill filed in the Senate two weeks ago would require mortgage servicers to respond to a short-sale offer within 30 days and make a final decision on acceptance within 60 days of receiving a purchase offer. The Stopping Ongoing Lender Delays (SOLD) Act, S. 3177, sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller, R-NV, would amend the Truth in Lending Act to require servicers to provide prompt responses to homeowners seeking to refinance or “for other purposes” including short sales. “By placing a shot clock on these decisions, it will reduce the amount of time it takes to sell a property, improve the likelihood that the transaction will close, and reduce the number of foreclosures in Nevada and across the country,” Heller said in a Senate floor speech on May 15. “Stability in the housing market is critical for long-term growth.”

Home Loan Servicing Solutions, recently launched as an independent acquirer of high quality mortgage servicing assets from Ocwen Financial Corp., is off to a good start as analysts gave it a thumbs up after a promising first-quarter debut. Analysts with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods gave the new company an Outperform rating and projected upward-trending dividend yields of 8.2 percent in 2012 and 9.9 percent in 2013-14. On May 8, the company declared a 10-cent monthly dividend, and the 30-cent quarterly dividend is slightly below KBW’s estimate of quarterly earnings-per-share of 32 cents...

Kroll Factual Data, based in Loveland, CO, announced it has upgraded its verification solution to meet what it says is the growing risk of fraudsters attempting to con mortgage lenders, resulting in an additional cost of doing business. Kroll, which provides customized mortgage credit reports, mortgage-related services and technology solutions for originators and investors, cited an uptick in potentially fraudulent activity flagged by its system during the past year. More than 14 percent of the loan files Kroll processed in 2011 and during the first quarter of 2012 contained certain applicant...

Special servicer Homeward Residential is stepping up in the market with diversified product offerings supported by a new brand and identity, and upgraded servicer ratings. Formerly American Home Mortgage Servicing, Homeward Residential is now a full-service mortgage banking operation with a full suite of services, including correspondent and warehouse lending, residential loan servicing (including subservicing and special servicing), and loan settlement services. The company ranked as the 15th largest wholesale lender in the first quarter of 2012 after just venturing into mortgage...