Sen. Pat Toomey, R-PA, argued that the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill and the Federal Reserve’s bond purchases are no longer necessary, and that more targeted, less costly measures are in order.

Good news for the commercial mortgage sector: CRE-related equity values are rising. Meanwhile, the MBA is optimistic about commercial real estate lending this year.

Read the tea leaves: Rising rates and a jump in MBS activity could portend trouble up around the bend.

So far, performance of the multifamily businesses of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2021 resembles 2020. It’s not clear if these similarities will persist.

Maxex, the mortgage trading platform, plans to use Maloch Spivey’s and Steven Valladares’ expertise to accelerate its expansion.

Declines in Ginnie Mae and GSE portfolios resulted in the overall loans in forbearance falling to a 10-month low.

Due to COVID-related forbearances, Freddie faced a $2.2 billion increase in its provisions for losses in 2020. However, that expense was more than offset by an across the board increase in revenues.

Profits in the fourth quarter weren’t enough to offset losses incurred earlier in the year by Annaly and Two Harbors. Meanwhile, a REIT with a non-agency focus turned a profit.

Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Redwood Trust ramped up issuance of jumbo MBS in recent weeks, while other firms in the sector have still not fully recovered from COVID volatility.