Progressives are worried that in 2019 a new Federal Housing Finance Agency director will takeover, undoing much of what they like about the current system…

Industry economists and mortgage lenders widely expect 2018 to look a lot like 2017: slowing production volume, a further shift toward purchase-mortgage lending and more pressure on profits. The average of mortgage origination forecasts from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Mortgage Bankers Association indicates that production will total $1.688 trillion this year, a 4.8 percent drop from 2017. The refinance sector will take the biggest hit ... [Includes one data chart]

Mortgage lenders seem somewhat cheerier about the new year than the dismal scientists…

The volume of single-family home loans flowing into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities rose unexpectedly in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Mortgage Finance.

Fact: Fannie and Freddie securitized more purchase-money mortgages in 2017 – $472.77 billion – than in any year since 2007.

And now for the bad news: The lower corporate tax rate will force Fannie and Freddie to write down the value of their deferred tax assets by $15.3 billion…

Clayton reviewed 481 mortgages that are slated for securitization…

Angel Oak has securitized $850 million of non-QM loans since 2015.

When Fannie and Freddie request a fresh draw of taxpayer funds from Treasury to deal with their DTA "problem," it will poison the well for conservative Republicans...

Better Mortgage, a “digital” lender, is seeing increased demand for purchase mortgages by helping borrowers compete with cash buyers. The lender focuses on appraisal timelines and provide guarantees for earnest-money deposits if a potential borrower’s sale falls through due to financing issues.