Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac suffered lower losses on their nonprime mortgage holdings in 2012 compared with previous years as mortgage performance has stabilized and investor demand for vintage non-agency mortgage-backed securities has increased.

Fannie Mae said Tuesday that the GSE expects to remain profitable “for the foreseeable future” after posting fourth quarter 2012 earnings of $7.6 billion and annual net income of $17.2 billion, the best quarterly and yearly showing in the company’s history.

The three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit overturned a lower court’s ruling from last summer which determined the FHFA was not acting as conservator but as regulator when the agency halted GSE involvement with PACE programs.

Roughly 270 depositories reported some mortgage buyback activity for 2012 but overall repurchases fell to a four-year low. Is the worst of the problem now over?

Inside MBS & ABS found big gains in the securitization of most commercial property types, including a huge surge in mortgages on hotels and motels.

The key to advancing tomorrow’s big picture housing finance reform should begin today through a series of smaller steps starting with targeted, nearly ready-to-go reductions to Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s credit risk, according to a proposal by Moody’s Analytics.

The mystery surrounding how much Fannie Mae really earned in the fourth quarter – and full year – could be solved by the end of next week, as the Federal Housing Finance Agency softens its stance toward allowing the GSE to capture at least a portion of its $64 billion valuation allowance for deferred tax assets. Industry officials who claim to have knowledge of the matter said FHFA is actively working with the GSE to resolve the situation. One former Fannie Mae official said it’s likely the agency will allow both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to claim deferred tax assets over several quarters.

Lawmakers of both parties in the House and Senate are talking like they are poised to finally ramp up their efforts to tackle housing finance reform, including disposition of the GSEs, but industry observers are skeptical that members will overcome differences and accomplish anything tangible. Last week, during hearings by the House Financial Services and Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committees, members spoke with more conviction about taking action, but said the devil is in the details. Some Republicans are pushing for a fully private housing finance system, while many Democrats desire some sort of government involvement to support originations of 30-year fixed-rate mortgages.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is warming up plans to launch a sales blitz for the successful but sun-setting Home Affordable Refinance Program. Last week, while testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco said the agency will soon implement a nationwide marketing campaign for HARP “to let borrowers know this is a legitimate program. We want to see more borrowers refinance.”

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, at the direction of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, rolled out a new streamlined loan modification program designed to increase the number of mods and reduce the number of foreclosed loans owned or guaranteed by the GSEs – a move not without some risks, analysts say. Beginning July 1 and running through Aug. 1, 2015, servicers can send modification notices to eligible borrowers who are between 90 days and 24 months delinquent under the Streamlined Modification Initiative. Building on the principles of the FHFA’s Servicing Alignment Initiative, the new streamlined mod effort seeks to encourage servicers to resolve delinquencies earlier and in a more consistent and timely manner to keep more people in their home and minimize losses to the GSEs and taxpayers, according to FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco.