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...
Apartment dwellers must be given the “flexibility” to repay back rent over time. However, the new guidance shouldn’t be interpreted by tenants as a get-out-of-jail-free card. As FHFA Director Mark Calabria put it: “If tenants are able to pay their rent, they should continue to do so.”
In the announcement extending the policy, FHFA Director Mark Calabria offered a defense of the stiff surcharges, saying, “Lenders have a responsibility to ensure that borrowers can make their monthly payment.”
The added cost associated with servicing a mortgage in forbearance gives servicers an incentive “not to follow the mandates of the CARES Act and implementing guidance,” investigators said.
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