In keeping with the rest of the Trump administration, FHFA has significantly reduced public visibility into its policy and actions since Bill Pulte took over as the agency’s director.

Housing finance stakeholders continue to debate whether the Trump administration can safely release Fannie and Freddie from conservatorship.

President Trump said he’s seriously considering letting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac go public. Industry participants are now waiting for specific details.

Using HMDA data, an academic researcher shows that the guarantee fees charged by the GSEs are above-market rate based on risk-adjusted profits.

Mortgage loan acquisitions by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accelerated in April, driven in part by a jump in refinance lending. (Includes two data tables.)

Share among megabanks and large nonbanks grew as overall deliveries to the GSEs faltered in the first quarter. (Includes two data tables.)

Smaller shops may support an end to the GSE conservatorships, but only if it’s done in a way that preserves pricing parity, avoids additional charters and maintains the cash window.

FHFA’s ban on the GSEs’ use of special purpose credit programs doesn’t appear to apply to HomeReady or Home Possible, neither of which has a racial or ethnic requirement.

Former Fannie and Freddie CEOs question the durability and utility of the uniform MBS in a post-conservatorship mortgage market.

Executives from Annaly and Two Harbors worry that ending the conservatorships of the GSEs could fundamentally change the buyer base for their mortgage-backed securities.