The value of agency MBS declined sharply following the start of the war with Iran. More recently, volatility has declined, prompting some major agency MBS investors to see continued promise in the assets.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac appear to be buying more MBS at times when spreads widen. They’re also hedging the purchases with interest rate swaps, according to industry participants.

The Treasury Market Practices Group released a white paper identifying how a change in the ownership structure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could impact the broader financial markets.

Combining machine learning techniques with more traditional accounting is making it possible to predict both whether a loan will prepay and when.

One of the GSEs has quietly issued an MBS comprised of loans underwritten using VantageScore 4.0.

While depository institutions and the central bank scaled back their MBS holdings during the fourth quarter, money managers, life insurance companies and the GSEs ramped up their portfolios. (Includes three data tables.)

Since the Iran war started, interest rates have returned to where they were when President Trump directed the GSEs to purchase $200 billion in MBS and most analysts say GSE reform is now off the table.

Since the U.S. initiated strikes on Iran, mortgage rates and MBS spreads have given up all the ground they gained from the Trump administration’s directive for the GSEs to purchase $200 billion in agency MBS.

Most mortgage REITs took advantage of strong MBS fundamentals to increase their agency holdings in the fourth quarter. While some REITs are drawn to the surging non-QM sector, industry holdings of non-agency MBS fell last year. (Includes two data tables.)

The potential rule change would allow banks to redesignate MBS holdings from held-to-maturity to available-for-sale.