One trade group said Phillips has already reached out to the industry, gathering opinions on key issues facing the market, including Fannie and Freddie…
There are multiple sides to the Treasury sweep debate but despite rumors to the contrary, the GSEs sent the bulk of their fourth-quarter earnings to the Treasury at the end of March, as scheduled. While some advocate for suspending the profit sweep, others question whether the timing of future payments could be altered to reduce the likelihood that either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac might need another bailout. In early March, industry officials and lobbyists began voicing their belief that the FHFA, possibly with Treasury’s blessing, might alter or suspend the quarterly dividends. One possibility floated was changing the four quarterly payments to one annual one. Speculation may have been fueled...
While hopes were high for GSE reform with the incoming Trump administration, housing industry experts seem to agree that major changes at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may not happen anytime soon. Panelists at a housing finance conference sponsored by Moody’s agreed with the ratings agency’s sentiment and said that the policy environment is in flux and unpredictable with GSE reform unlikely in the near term. “The election of Donald J. Trump as president amid Republican control of Congress has created a new political landscape with potential implications for the U.S. housing and finance markets,” said Moody’s in a recap of the conference. “However, panelists at our conference saw targeted legislative or regulatory changes as...
RSS