Despite this "relief" measure, the GSE regulator has been sharply criticized by lenders because the fee is so steep: 500 basis points for first-time buyers and 700 bps for everyone else.
As Brown and Reed point out, unless Fannie and Freddie specifically require it, the parties purchasing these loans are under no obligation to provide forbearance to the borrowers.
The deadline for potential competitors to submit their proposals was Sept. 15. However, that was just the first of four phases in the selection process established last year by the FHFA. The enterprises expect the process to take at least another year to complete.
“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.
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.”
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