Warehouse providers ended 2017 with an estimated $67.0 billion of commitments on their books, flat compared to the prior quarter and a sign that growth in the sector, at least for now, is taking a respite in the wake of higher interest rates.
Republicans in Congress are using the potential for administrative reform of the government-sponsored enterprises as leverage in negotiations on housing-finance reform legislation, according to industry observers. Passage of reform legislation involving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac appears unlikely this year and some investors in the secondary market would prefer to keep things as is.
Ginnie Mae is considering revising its acknowledgement agreement with mortgage-backed securities issuers and third-party creditors to ensure that nonbank program participants have sufficient liquidity to make timely payments to investors.
The American Enterprise Institute this week released a proposal to gradually eliminate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac through administrative action and reform the FHA program. Many of its recommendations could be implemented by the Federal Housing Finance Agency director that President Trump can nominate early next year.
The Internal Revenue Service said that interest payments on home-equity loans can still be deductible under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that went into effect at the end of 2017 if it’s used for home improvements.
General Electric is exploring the possibility of a settlement with the Department of Justice to resolve an ongoing federal investigation of its discontinued pre-crisis subprime mortgage business, known as WMC.
Pete Carroll, an executive at CoreLogic, noted that many Democrats in Congress will not support a housing finance reform bill unless such provisions are included.
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