"Current sentiment reflects pent-up frustration with the overall lack of purchase affordability," said Doug Duncan, a senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae.
Most of the increase in Freddie buybacks in the first quarter of this year came from loans that were securitized in 2023, which totaled $219.1 million and represented 65.8% of Freddie repurchases in early 2024.
The new policy includes the implementation of a waterfall of loan modifications designed to reduce borrowers' monthly mortgage payment by at least 20%.