Mortgage lenders that deliver loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities continued to do gradually more business with borrowers with lower credit scores, according to an exclusive new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of MBS data. In 2016, 21.4 percent of purchase mortgages securitized by the two government-sponsored enterprises had credit scores ranging from 620 to 699. That was up from 20.6 percent in 2015 and 20.5 percent ... [Includes two data charts]
The two GSEs were placed in conservatorship in September 2008 by Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. At the time, their common and junior preferred shares were considered worthless.
In a new annual letter to shareholders, Fairholme Capital Management once again lays out its argument for investing in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stock, trying to explain to its wealthy investors that it feels more secure in owning junior preferred shares than common stock. Among other things, Fairholme said the preferred stock “provide(s) us with greater security and certainty than the common stock and, as you know, we are not speculators.” When it comes to a liquidation preference, preferred shareholders are senior to common shareholders, who often receive nothing when a company goes bust. But Fairholme’s problem – one shared by other firms that still own this class of stock – is...
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