The three major consumer reporting agencies are using discounted pricing and other strategies to drive adoption of VantageScore 4.0 among mortgage lenders. The score is the main competitor to FICO.
Three of the top-five GSE issuers posted declines in volume last month. Meanwhile, Fannie’s share of total residential MBS issuance fell to a decade-plus low of 24.0% in the fourth quarter of 2025. (Includes two data tables.)
An OIG audit of legal services payments at FHFA found that the agency spent $15.6 million on outside counsel over the 12 months ending March 2025. FHFA will follow recommendations from the OIG to improve practices involving legal services.
Plaintiffs in Fairholme Funds v. FHFA, a landmark case in which a jury awarded GSE shareholders $612 million for damages resulting from the net worth sweep, seek more restitution on appeal.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac assured lenders that mortgages will not become ineligible for delivery solely because of the shutdown, temporarily relaxing employment verification and available reserve requirements for impacted borrowers.
By allowing the FHLBanks to once again provide credit enhancement for tax-exempt bonds, the bill’s sponsors hope it will reduce financing costs for community development in smaller municipalities.
New research — commissioned and funded by VantageScore — attempts to estimate the cost savings created by future competition between VantageScore and FICO.
The income assessment portion of Fannie’s Selling Guide has been significantly restructured, moving and rephrasing many sections, changing some policies and introducing new ones.