NAHB said by sharply reducing the number of taxpayers who would itemize, “what’s left is a tax bill that essentially eviscerates the mortgage interest deduction…”
New issuance of credit-risk transfer debt notes by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac slowed during the third quarter of 2017, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis. However, Freddie recently issued a small CRT variation that’s designed to expand participation in the market by real estate investment trusts and foreign investors. During the third quarter, the two government-sponsored enterprises issued $3.62 billion of traditional CRT notes through ... [Includes one data chart]
Work on housing-finance reform looks likely to ramp up in the coming weeks and months, including a document from the Trump administration and legislation in the Senate. But many policy analysts believe that passage of comprehensive legislation is still years away, giving great power to the next director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The Treasury Department will likely release principles on housing-finance reform within weeks, according to David Stevens ...
With just over 4.5 million mortgage borrowers potentially affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, a secondary market is beginning to develop for mortgages that were originated and closed prior to the storm – but had not yet been placed into a security. According to bidders in the market, the early action focuses on loans that are “stuck” on warehouse lines. But the mortgages cannot be securitized until the property (if damaged) can be brought up to code and re-inspected ...
Nearly all of the securitized loans which failed to meet qualified-mortgage standards that took effect in 2014 are holding up well, and the MBS credit enhancement should be enough to handle any problems that emerge in an economic downtown, according to a new report from DBRS. The credit rating service did an analysis of the collateral and performance trends associated with the 20 securitizations backed by substantial numbers of non-QM loans that have been ... [Includes one data chart]
Maintaining the government MBS guarantee and the agency to-be-announced market is vital to a reformed housing-finance system, according to industry trade groups testifying during a House Financial Services Subcommittee hearing this week. Kevin Chavers, a managing director at BlackRock speaking for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, said the cost of credit would go up without a government MBS guarantee, and banks would not be able to ...
A handful of shareholder lawsuits challenging the government’s net worth sweep of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earnings have landed at the Supreme Court of the United States, asking the top court to review the constitutionality of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Back in September, the FHFA filed a motion to dismiss in Atif Bhatti, et al., vs. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, stating that the plaintiffs lack standing to bring claims of their alleged injuries being related to ...
Joshua Rosner, managing director of Graham Fisher & Co., said his discussions with Trump officials and members of Congress suggest that the administration’s reform principles won’t be released until early next year…