Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both suffered from what’s likely to be a one-time event that resulted in a hit on their earnings for the fourth quarter thanks to the late 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that impacted their deferred tax assets.
As National Association of Realtors Vice President Joe Ventrone put it: “It’s an unintended consequence of the tax bill rather than falling into the bailout narrative.”
Ginnie Mae this week warned nine VA lenders suspected of engaging in loan churning to each develop a plan to slow the rapid pace of prepayments they have triggered in the agency’s securitized loan pools. According to Ginnie, the issuers were directed individually to deliver correction action plans containing measures that could be deployed immediately to bring prepayment speeds in line with market peers. The agency told issuers they would be barred from multi-issuer pools if they do not come up with a plan. Participation would be allowed only in the agency’s custom pools. The latest action builds off the Ginnie Mae/VA Loan Churn Task Force, which has been working since September to resolve the churning problem. “We have an obligation to take necessary measures to prevent the lending practices of a few from impairing the performance of our multi-issuer securities, and thus raising the ... [ Chart ]