Residential lenders funded $445 billion in the second quarter, one of the best readings in two years, according to figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance.
A bill seeking to block the proposed pay raises for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac CEOs was passed with bipartisan support this week by the House Financial Services Committee. As controversial talks of pay raises for Fannie and Freddie CEOs intensified, Rep. Ed Royce, R-CA, continued to push his legislation to cap the salaries with H.R. 2243, the Equity in Government Compensation Act of 2015. Royce was adamant and said Congress needs to put a stop to the “planned multi-million dollar paydays” at the GSEs. The CEOs could have gotten up to $4 million each in annual total compensation. Earlier this month, the Federal Housing Finance Agency authorized the removal of a pay cap.
The U.S. Court of Federal Claims Court ordered the U.S. Treasury to release all discovery documents pertaining to the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last week in connection with the Fairholme Funds v. The United States case. In a move forcing the U.S. Treasury to release all discovery documents pertaining to the GSE conservatorship, a court ruling last week is a rare legal victory for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac investors. Attorneys for Fairholme believe that the government is deliberately stonewalling, making it more difficult to get a true understanding of the events and decisions leading up to the third amendment sweep.
The amount of lead time the market will need to make changes to prepare for the single security was one of the concerns discussed at the first advisory group meeting for the single security/common securitization platform.Members, comprised of trade group officials as well as representatives from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions, convened for the first time in mid-July at the CSS office in Bethesda, MD.Operational and technology impacts were discussed, according to notes summarizing the meeting, and most participants agreed that a quick fluid transaction would be best, with conversion to the new security taking place as soon as possible. Most members agreed that the transition could be completed within three or four months but said system changes could take longer.
Industry groups commenting on the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s adjustments to the conforming loan limit by July 27 were primarily supportive with the exception of one trade organization. Trade group commenters include American Bankers Association, CoreLogic, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center, the National Association of Federal Credit Unions and the National Association of Realtors. The FHFA plans to use the “expanded data” house price index published by the agency since 2011 to make adjustments to the baseline conforming loan limit. David Stevens, president and CEO of the MBA said the FHFA’s review regarding alternative indexes is thorough.
Freddie Mac launched a new credit risk-transfer offering late last week that’s structured more like a non-agency mortgage backed security. One analyst said it could prompt more participation from real estate investment trusts. The $300 million offering, the Freddie Mac Whole Loan Security, features a $278 million senior class guaranteed by the GSE and a $23 million subordinate actual-loss security. WLS 2015 SC01 is backed by super-conforming loans originated in the fourth quarter of 2014 and early 2015. The GSE said by shifting some of its credit risk from the underlying mortgages to subordinate investors, the new offering compliments its Structured Agency Credit Risk and Agency Credit Insurance offerings.
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