Even as the percentage of GSE high-DTI loans fell, an odd thing happened: The actual dollar volume of these assets surged.

According to the FHFA IG, the agency is still not adequately staffed to assess the safety and soundness of Fannie and Freddie.

Lawrence Parks, a former FHLB-SF executive, believes an FHLB plan to buy Freddie seems as plausible as other ideas that pass for GSE reform.

Companies will have to shell out $200,000 in application fees for every credit score model they think can compete with the FICO template.

Treasury and FHFA say it is still “premature to comment on specific capital levels” necessary to release the GSEs from conservatorship.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is seeking feedback on what financial requirements should be enforced for FHLB membership.

Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg’s plan to merge the GSEs actually got the other Democratic candidates to talk about MBS.

Freddie mentioned CECL almost as a throwaway line in its earnings call, while Fannie said its CECL impact will be more substantial.

The Housing Trust Fund and the Capital Magnet Trust will receive $326.4 million and $175.8 million, respectively, for 2019.

Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase, the top banks in mortgage banking income, saw significant quarter-to-quarter volatility in 2019. Flagstar pulled itself out of a rut in the fourth quarter but still posted a hefty net mortgage banking loss for the year. (Includes data chart.)