Sponsors of the highly anticipated, bipartisan Senate legislation intended to reform the mortgage-finance system without Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled their final proposal last week.But with reform of the FHA more politically urgent and a more radical House bill waiting in the wings, even the Senate bill’s most avid industry supporters don’t expect the measure to gain much political traction in the near term.

Citigroup this week unveiled a $968 million legal settlement with Fannie Mae to cover current “potential future repurchase claims” for breaches of representations and warranties on 3.7 million first liens originated between 2000 and 2012. According to a statement issued by the nation’s sixth largest home lender, almost all of the money that will be paid to the GSE is “covered by Citi's existing mortgage repurchase reserves.”

Legislation filed in the House two weeks ago would require the Treasury Department to once again amend its agreement with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to allow the GSEs to pay down the billions of taxpayer dollars the companies received while in government conservatorship.Under the Let the GSEs Pay US Back Act of 2013, H.R. 2435, – sponsored by Rep. Michael Capuano, D-MA – the GSE senior preferred stock purchased by the Treasury would no longer accrue dividends, as is the current practice.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac forked over a combined $66.4 billion in dividends to the U.S. Treasury at the end of June with more payments – though not as large – expected for quarters to come. Fannie paid the Treasury Department roughly $59.4 billion, while Freddie paid about $7.0 billion. A large chunk of Fannie's recent profits are tied to “deferred tax assets” which involve the recapture of money originally given to the GSE by Treasury to bolster its capital position.

A sharp downturn in refinance activity reduced Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s business volume during the second quarter of 2013, but the GSEs posted their strongest quarter in purchase-mortgage activity in four years, according to a new Inside The GSEs analysis. Fannie and Freddie issued $337.74 billion in single-family mortgage-backed securities during the second quarter, a 5.1 percent decline from the first three months of the year. The decline put an end to an upward trend in GSE production that took hold during the third quarter of 2012. Despite this, Fannie and Freddie business was up 20.0 percent over the first six months of last year.

Mortgages modified by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac performed about the same for a year after modification but Freddie’s loans had a slightly worse performance starting some 18 months after modification, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The OCC Mortgage Metrics Report for the First Quarter of 2013 noted that Fannie and Freddie loans each had a 17 percent re-default rate six months after modification. The two GSEs were similarly tied at the 12-month mark, each posting a 24.4 percent re-default rate. Daylight begins to crack between the two GSEs at 18 months, with Fannie’s rate at an even 28.0 percent compared to Freddie’s 28.2 percent. At 24 months, Fannie’s mods saw a 29.4 percent re-default rate compared to Freddie’s 29.9 percent. The gap widens at 36 months when Fannie stood at 35.2 percent compared to Freddie’s 36.3 percent rate.

Roughly $495 billion of residential MBS and non-mortgage ABS were issued during the second quarter of 2013, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS market analysis.

Well, at least the White House is happy. Fannie and Freddie turned over $66.4 billion to the government at the end of June, money that will help reduce the deficit.

Stonegate Mortgage, a fast growing lender, wants to go public. Meanwhile, thanks to the Fed, MSR sales could be massive.

The volume of new business flowing through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – a lagging indicator of primary market originations – declined modestly during the second quarter of 2013, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside Mortgage Finance. The two government-sponsored enterprises securitized $337.74 billion of single-family mortgages during the second quarter, down 5.1 percent from the first three months of the year. The decline reversed an upward trend in quarterly GSE production that started in the third quarter of 2012. Even with the downturn, business at Fannie and Freddie was up 20.0 percent over the first six months of last year. The second-quarter decline clearly reflected...[Includes three data charts]