Industry insiders argue over whether the credit-risk transfer programs are overpriced catastrophic insurance for the GSEs or a cheap form of capital.

Several of the regulatory and management measures undertaken to mitigate the impact of the pandemic are slowly being eased. Is that a sign markets are improving?

A so-called stressed default rate on millions of residential loans originated between 1990 and 2019 suggests the risks that precipitated the global financial crisis were around long before that, and are growing in the current market.

Industry stakeholders believe the creation of GSE “wills” are a good exercise to go through, but suspicions abound.

Out of the $3.158 trillion unpaid principal balance in Fannie’s population of outstanding MBS, $201.3 billion would be eligible for a refi under the new program.

Even though the GSEs actively support small lenders on the single-family side of the house, critics say their multifamily businesses continue to favor larger financial institutions.

The GSEs’ aversion to projects that include transient rental income has riled investors and second-home buyers in some resort communities.

The program will be rolled out to GSE borrowers with incomes at or below 80% of a geographic area’s median income. One stipulation: no more than one missed payment in the past 12 months.

The amended PSPAs require Fannie and Freddie to abide by the new QM rule, even though the rule doesn’t formally go into effect until Oct. 1, 2022.

FHFA says appraisal waivers may subside after the agency reviews comments in its outstanding RFI. However, the cash window caps may be here for a while.