A lot of prospective homebuyers may be shut out of the market if their mortgage financing can’t pass muster with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s qualified-mortgage standard, congressional testimony this week suggested. Witnesses from The Peoples Bank Company, of Coldwater, OH, and Quicken Loans said during a House Financial Services Financial Institutions Subcommittee hearing this week that their firms plan to stay away from making mortgages that don’t fit into either the safe harbor or the rebuttable-presumption QM boxes. “There is...

Expect Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders to continue to clamor for attention and satisfaction this year whether or not the Obama administration and lawmakers confront claims that the government-sponsored enterprises should share their profits with investors, say industry observers. Late last week, Sen. Bob Corker, R-VA, sought to walk back comments he made regarding GSE shareholder rights while speaking at a policy forum in Washington, DC. Corker said that he and other lawmakers drafting an enhanced GSE reform bill in the Senate recognize that shareholder claims “have to be dealt with.” Following news of Corker’s remark, GSE preferred shares posted...

Some lawmakers and non-agency interests are not happy with new Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt’s move this week to delay a planned 10 basis point increase in the government-sponsored enterprises’ MBS guaranty fees. Two days after he was sworn in to a five-year term as FHFA director, Watt followed through on a promise he made late last month to delay then FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco’s announced 10 bps g-fee hike. Watt promised sellers at least 120 days before implementing any changes. The g-fee increase was set...

Sens. Bob Corker, R-TN, and Mark Warner, D-VA, said this week they are unmoved by arguments that the government-sponsored enterprises have all but repaid the capital fronted by the federal government and that future GSE profits should be directed to GSE shareholders, including hedge funds that have increased their holdings in recent months. “We respect the Constitution, and we understand there are some issues that need to be worked through. But at the end of the day, the GSEs would have no value whatsoever had the government not stepped in,” Corker said at a discussion hosted by the Financial Services Roundtable. He told shareholders – such as Pershing Square Capital Management and Fairholme Funds – to file lawsuits against the federal government. “Go through the courts and seek legal remedy,” Corker said. Warner said...

If a GSE reform bill doesn’t at least move out of committee – even better, clear a vote on the Senate floor this year – lawmakers and experts agreed this week that the window to cement a meaningful legislative solution to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is in danger of closing. Speaking at a Financial Services Roundtable Housing Policy Council forum on GSE reform, Sens. Bob Corker, R-TN, and Mark Warner, D-VA, said they would very much like to see a mark-up of their bill, the Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act, S. 1217, sooner rather than later.

In 2014, lawmakers and the Obama administration will no longer be able to avoid confronting claims by GSE shareholders seeking recovery, says an expert. This week, while attending a Financial Services Roundtable Housing Policy Council forum on GSE reform, financial industry consultant Bert Ely quizzed Sens. Bob Corker, R-TN, and Mark Warner, D-VA, about GSE securities.

In what has become a familiar ritual, a coalition of nine industry groups dispatched a letter Wednesday to congressional leaders reiterating their opposition to the use of GSE guaranty fees to offset other budget provisions. This time, Congress is considering tapping GSE g-fees as lawmakers look toward an extension of unemployment benefits, which expired on Dec. 31.

Official Washington and mortgage-industry observers expect some near-term flux as new Federal Housing Finance Director Mel Watt adjusts to his job and works to make the conservator and regulator of the government-sponsored enterprises his own. The former North Carolina Congressman was sworn in Monday to a five-year term as the FHFA’s new director. Watt replaces Acting Director Edward DeMarco, who was appointed as interim agency head following the resignation of FHFA Director James Lockhart in August 2009. The 20-year veteran House Democrat had been expected...

The top Democrat and Republican of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee admitted last week they will not make their ambitious deadline of clearing a housing finance reform bill by the end of this year, but the senior lawmakers said they remain “bullish” on moving legislation to the Senate floor sooner rather than later in 2014. Speaking at a Bipartisan Policy Center event, Committee Chairman Sen. Tim Johnson, D-SD, blamed “a couple of curveballs,” including the 16-day government shutdown, for falling short of his and Idaho Republican Mike Crapo’s self-imposed deadline announced in September. He also noted his panel held 12 hearings on housing reform this year, including the final one last week.

Fannie, Freddie Suspend Holiday Evictions. In what has become an annual tradition, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each announced last week that all foreclosure-related evictions of single-family and two-to-four unit properties are suspended until after the New Year.“At this time of year, we want to bring some relief to families who confronted financial difficulties and went through foreclosure,” said Chris Bowden, Freddie’s senior vice president of REO. The GSEs are also encouraging struggling homeowners to contact their servicers for help to avoid foreclosure. “We encourage any homeowner who is having difficulty making their mortgage payment to reach out for help right away,” added Fannie Chief Operating Officer Terry Edwards.