In a new book, James Lockhart, FHFA’s first director, outlines the events leading up to the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. More than a decade later, the events and debates are still relevant.

Monthly business volume was up in March, and a handful of sellers grew their agency single-family production in an otherwise calamitous start to the new year. (Includes two data charts.)

Agency MBS industry insiders recently discussed specified pools, prepayment rates, home price growth and problems with ESG investing.

Ginnie ranked as the top agency MBS issuer in February for the sixth month in a row. A tweak in the agency's RPL pooling policies helped. (Includes two data charts.)

Would social bonds backed by single-family loans rather than multifamily loans still comport with the GSEs’ mission without impacting safety and soundness? FHFA issued a request for input on the matter.

A new report outlines the risks CSS poses for the GSEs and the secondary mortgage market.

Even though the upfront fee Fannie and Freddie impose on commingled securities has been sharply reduced, some industry watchers argue that it has permanently damaged the market for Supers and REMICs.

The GSEs’ social disclosures should be as granular and specific as those reported for credit-risk transfer deals, according to investors.

The non-agency MBS market fizzled badly at the end of 2022 as new issuance declined in all the key product categories. The ECM sector held up a little better than the prime non-agency market, while NPL/RPL securitization tanked. (Includes three data charts.)

With lenders pushing mortgages that include a temporary buydown feature, MBS investors are pondering prepayment behavior for the loans. Expect loans with temporary buydowns to exhibit prepayment speeds similar to ARMs, according to an industry analyst.