Leaders of the FHLBanks and FHFA appear to be at odds on the banks' role in times of distress.

Although most top-10 GSE lenders increased deliveries to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in November, MBS issuance declined by 7.0% on a monthly basis.

The Council of the Federal Home Loan Banks and the Federal Housing Finance Agency find themselves on opposite sides in a debate over the mission of the FHLBanks.

At FHFA’s direction, the GSEs have been working to ensure lenders can identify condo projects that are ineligible due to deferred maintenance or characteristics like excess commercial space or investor concentration.

Stricter energy codes would lower residents’ housing costs, improve their health and make them more resilient to the impacts of climate change, according to environmental and consumer groups.

The government-sponsored enterprise has collaborated with state housing finance agencies to develop standardized loan documents to simplify the use of downpayment assistance programs.

Although the GSEs financed fewer affordable units in small multifamily properties, the number of affordable units in Fannie- and Freddie-financed high-rises and garden apartments spiked from 170,000 to 248,000.

This week, the GSEs began providing investors the Social Density Score and Social Criteria Share attributes for Supers and Megas.

The baseline conforming loan limit for 2024 will rise $40,350 to $766,550 on mortgages for one-unit properties.

Fed researchers show that, when interest rates increase, refinances decline, but alternative forms of household borrowing increase proportionally. This borrowing substitution diminishes the value of refinances as a path for monetary policy.