After the FHFA director left the stage at a Federalist Society event, a panel of housing experts took issue with almost every facet of the Trump administration's plan.
Layton notes that in the first full quarter under the new UMBS regime the Freddie discount fell to just 1 basis point, 80% off its historic average, and dramatically lower than the 10 bp gap in 1Q19.
The NPL sold by the enterprises had an average delinquency of three years and a loan-to-value ratio of 92%. Fannie accounted for 78,281, or two-thirds, of these sales between Jan. 1 and June 30.
Part of the problem is that the current proposed rule was a product of the previous director and much has changed since the rulemaking began a year ago.
The FHFA director said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may fully exit conservatorship as early as 2022. Meanwhile, on FHLBank membership to non-banks, Calabria said the agency will soon be putting out a request for information.
The legislation appears to be a de facto extension of the qualified-mortgage patch, according to Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg. He said the bill could be positive for housing by ensuring the supply of mortgage credit is not constrained.
Treasury claims the GSEs’ unfair advantage is because of their capital treatment. Urban Institute researchers say it’s because of the government backstop of their credit risk.
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