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.
When panic first set in over the economic impact of COVID-19, investors sold off historically large volumes of MBS and Treasuries. As a result, liquidity and pricing efficiency both took a beating. It was the Fed’s gluttonous appetite for these securities that brought markets off the cliff.
The economic effects of the pandemic have slowed refi activity for investment properties. That, in turn, has dampened prepayment speeds for 100% investment-property pools, Wells Fargo Securities said.
Thanks to a booming origination market, Fannie and Freddie posted strong earnings for the second quarter despite the economic carnage caused by the pandemic. Their capital positions also improved.
The “implied guarantee subsidy” that underpins the FHLBank operations is the reason why financial institutions of all kinds are clamoring for membership, according to former Freddie CEO Don Layton.
Fannie Chief Financial Officer Celeste Brown credited the recently adapted current expected credit loss (CECL) standard for the improved showing because the mortgage giant now looks at lifetime losses whereas before it would have just looked ahead two years.