MBA President Bob Broeksmit argues that the new LLPA “flies in the face of the administration’s recent executive actions urging federal agencies to take all measures within their authorities to support struggling homeowners.”
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.
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.
The steep fees to sell forbearance loans to the GSEs have led to tighter underwriting standards, which disproportionately impact borrowers of color, House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters said.
Most of the concerns about the new regulation hinge on how much profit the GSEs can make under the bumped-up capital levels. Most industry observers appear to be on the side of “not enough.”