Two activist investors have authored a report highlighting the debate surrounding the facts and numbers that led to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac being placed into conservatorship in 2008. In the 27-page report, Adam Spittler and Mike Ciklin argue that the Treasury unfairly justified GSE conservatorship via “tricky accounting” methods. In the second quarter of 2008, the report said Fannie reported a net loss of $2.8 billion. But they noted some discrepancies. “As per our analysis, we must add back the non- cash Loan Loss Reserve of $5.5 billion. After this adjustment, Fannie Mae shows a cash net income figure of $3.2 billion. This is poor evidence of a ‘failing business model,’” said the report.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency released its performance review of first-quarter earnings for the GSEs this week and it stands to reason that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could post strong earnings for the second quarter. Here’s why: loan production was decent, which means guaranty fee income should be as well. But the real gain could come from rising interest rates. When rates fell during the first quarter, Fannie and Freddie booked $4.2 billion losses from the markdown on the value of derivative securities they use to hedge. Rates increased in the second quarter, which means the question now becomes: how much of a gain will the two book? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reported continued profitability in the first quarter of 2015...

Wells Fargo was the top seller to Freddie Mac in 2Q with $12.6 billion, according to newly compiled figures from Inside Mortgage Finance, but BofA was a somewhat close second...

However, refinance loans continued to account for the lion’s share of GSE business, Inside Mortgage Finance found.

A few years back, then FHFA Director Ed DeMarco cut the compensation of the CEOs as a response to lawmaker concerns.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also is reviewing LPMI, but from a different angle: RESPA and the "discounting" of such policies…

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac saw a robust 22.3 percent increase in their single-family business during the second quarter of 2015, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. The two government-sponsored enterprises issued a combined $232.36 billion of single-family mortgage-backed securities during the second quarter. It was their strongest quarterly production level since the third quarter of 2013, and it lifted ... [Includes three data charts]

Prior to the financial crisis and the government takeover of Fannie and Freddie, some seller-servicers had “strategic alliance” deals that allowed them to pay under 15 basis points in g-fees...

Why do loan turn times – application to closing – vary so much?

Former Goldman Sachs officials sure like the nonprime mortgage space. (It's all about yield.)