Freddie Mac’s real estate sales unit is looking to bring in more lending partners to widen the reach of its financing program implemented last year specifically to move the GSE’s real-estate owned properties. Since the company rolled out its Homesteps Financing program during the second half of 2012 in four select states, the new financing option for both owner-occupied and investor purchase of REO properties has yielded promising enough results to prompt expansion, says a Freddie…

Freddie Mac is still owed $1.2 billion from the bankrupt Lehman Brothers and likely will not be reimbursed anytime soon due to the fact that the GSE is an “unsecured” creditor, according to a new report by the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Office of Inspector General. The report notes that the loan was made in August of 2008, not long before Lehman went bust and Freddie was placed into government conservatorship. The loan was described by Freddie officials as a “Fed Funds” transaction available to Lehman on an overnight basis. However, the limit on such transactions was $250 million, according to the OIG Report.

Not only was the jumbo market on a roll last year but the GSEs were major players, according to new figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance.

Early on, one of the biggest problems with the Home Affordable Refinance Program was the inability of nonbank lenders to participate in the effort. Many were willing – but their warehouse lenders were nervous about putting high loan-to-value loans on their books, even for just a few weeks. But since last summer Fannie Mae, and to a lesser extent Freddie Mac, have made a concerted effort to allay the fears of warehouse financiers about the risk inherent in the loans. “Fannie Mae has basically been...[Includes one data chart]

The available supply of residential MBS grew marginally during the fourth quarter of last year as the agency market grew enough to offset the ongoing decline in outstanding non-agency MBS, according to a new analysis by Inside MBS & ABS. The supply of single-family agency MBS increased by $48.1 billion during the fourth quarter, a 0.9 percent increase over the three-month period. The Federal Reserve gobbled up all the increase and then some; its total agency MBS holdings rose by $91.6 billion during the fourth quarter, an 11.0 percent increase from the previous period. Mutual funds appeared to hold...[Includes two data charts]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could suffer losses of nearly $2 billion on the fair value of their assets if interest rates fluctuate upward by just a single percentage percent, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s official watchdog. A white paper issued this week by the FHFA’s Office of Inspector General found that despite moves by the Finance Agency and the Treasury to require the two government-sponsored enterprises to substantially downsize their mortgage asset portfolios, interest rate risk remains a “significant concern.” “The increasingly illiquid nature of the GSEs’ mortgage asset portfolios presents...

Will the White House soon unveil its FHFA director candidate?

Fannie Mae is working on changes that may give some mortgage bankers relief on buybacks.

When residential originations thrive, so does the warehouse lending sector, and 2012 was no exception.

Is privately held nonbank Mortgage Master the Big Kahuna of residential lending in Massachusetts?