A rare wave of bipartisanship swept through Congress last week, propelling a key piece of housing legislation through the Senate Banking Committee. And there are separate proposals in the House.

The trade group urged Fannie and Freddie to modernize their construction-to-permanent loan products to expand access to affordable housing and encourage more lenders to participate in these projects.

Republican lawmakers support CRT; Barry Habib joins Fannie board; CBO evaluates impacts of ending the conservatorship.

Just one week after VantageScore 4.0 credit score was allowed for underwriting GSE-eligible loans, competitor FICO released data appearing to show that FICO 10 T has superior predictive capabilities.

The GSEs’ automated underwriting systems now include income calculators, appraisal waivers and tools to assess the rental payment history of borrowers.

More access to Freddie’s CPA; taking Republic Mortgage Insurance off the books; new CEO for FHLB-OF; Calabria gets a new gig.

FHFA’s efforts to monetize the securitization platform of the GSEs may provide entre to Wall Street banks and other competitors.

Starting in October, properties that are part of a condo project in insolvency proceedings will not be eligible for GSE loans. The rule applies immediately if the lender is already aware of the proceedings.

After 18 months in purgatory, the broker giant resumed GSE activity in June with a $173 million Freddie-backed refi for a Manhattan apartment building.

By some estimates, the average short sale or a foreclosure costs the GSEs $19,000 more than putting the borrower through a home-retention program.