The improved financial performance of the GSEs largely reflects the impact of CECL. The provisions for losses that would have been made in 2Q20 under the old accounting standard were already accounted for by CECL, which was adopted in December. (Includes data chart.)
Urban Institute researchers estimate the 7% fee the GSEs charge to purchase loans that have gone into forbearance after closing squeezes 255,000 creditworthy borrowers out of the market.
Democratic lawmakers said the re-proposed capital rule could adversely affect access to credit for borrowers of color and lower income individuals. Also, they said quickly recapitalizing the GSEs in the midst of a public health crisis might interfere with the nation’s economic recovery.
Pointing to unemployment rates that reached 14.7% in April, and a 7.3% decline in consumer expenditures in March, FHFA is simply acknowledging the obvious: The U.S. economy has entered a recession of unprecedented depth and unknown duration.
Although the FHLBanks market themselves as local lenders, this image doesn’t match their operations. Ten of the nation’s largest commercial banks account for about 30% of FHLBank advances.
Some industry players believe FHFA Director Mark Calabria wants to use an activities-based review of the market to reduce regulations, which many observers think increase the cost of mortgages.
The Supreme Court is likely to give the president the power to replace the FHFA director for any reason, much like it did in the Seila Law v. CFPB case, according to Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg.
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