Fannie paused its CRT issuance in 2020 after the FHFA proposed changes to the capital treatment of CRT transactions. Freddie continued to issue deals, but Fannie wasn’t persuaded to return until a proposal by the FHFA in September.
Some of the Trump-era restrictions placed on the GSEs have been put on hold for at least a year. That includes a cap on acquisitions of mortgages for investment properties.
The blueprint would reverse capital requirements set in December, which offered few incentives for the GSEs to complete credit-risk transfer transactions.
Fannie and Freddie, the linchpin of the nation’s MBS market, may never get out of conservatorship. Right? Actually, they might. A pending risk-based capital rule could play a role in the drama.
Industry insiders are speculating whether former FHFA Director Mark Calabria delayed the release of the 2020 stress tests results because they contradicted his proposed capital rule.