“Let’s be very clear,” Calabria said. “The CARES Act imposed unfunded costs on Fannie and Freddie,” adding that, by statute, the GSEs are required to recoup those costs via income.
The pencil sharpening represents a 13.8% jump from the $3.4 trillion Fannie predicted just month ago, and 88.8% more than the $2.06 trillion in originations the GSE forecast in January, before the advent of the coronavirus pandemic.
FHFA said it originally approved the purchase of forborne loans to improve liquidity in the market. On Wednesday, agency Director Mark Calabria reiterated that assertion: “Extending these COVID-19 flexibilities helps keep the mortgage market moving and borrowers safe during the pandemic.”
However, FHFA made it clear the agency is not cancelling the new fee, which it says is intended to help Fannie and Freddie defray the costs associated with COVID-19 relief. The agency says those actions have conservatively cost the enterprises $6 billion...