Pointing to unemployment rates that reached 14.7% in April, and a 7.3% decline in consumer expenditures in March, FHFA is simply acknowledging the obvious: The U.S. economy has entered a recession of unprecedented depth and unknown duration.

Some industry players believe FHFA Director Mark Calabria wants to use an activities-based review of the market to reduce regulations, which many observers think increase the cost of mortgages.

The Supreme Court is likely to give the president the power to replace the FHFA director for any reason, much like it did in the Seila Law v. CFPB case, according to Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg.

In its S-1 filing, Quicken (not surprisingly) said it’s powerless to modify the rules that govern its relationship with the GSEs.

The panel this week heard testimony that servicers failed to inform borrowers of their right to forbearance, offered less assistance than required by law and provided inaccurate information on lump-sum repayments.

Freddie Mac returned to market in July with a $425 million ACIS deal and $1.1 billion STACR, leading GSE watchers to conclude the CRT market has returned from the dead. Others are not so sure.

Time is of the essence if FHFA Director Mark Calabria wants Fannie and Freddie irrevocably out of conservatorship before a possible change in administrations in November.

Unemployment benefits appear to have kept the real estate market from crashing, according to FHFA Director Mark Calabria.

The MBA argues that FHLB advances would offer REITs a cheap alternative to repo financing. One way to offset the added risk posed by REITs would be to increase the haircuts on their collateral requirements.

The steep fees to sell forbearance loans to the GSEs have led to tighter underwriting standards, which disproportionately impact borrowers of color, House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters said.