As part of Freddie’s voluntary retirement program, 700 employees have taken a buyout. Most are expected to be gone by the end of March.

According to court filings, beginning in 2016, the FHLB-SF developed a proposal for the bank to purchase one of the GSEs. To assist in the process, the bank also engaged the services of McKinsey Consulting.

The hiatus in the net worth sweep added $12.53 billion to the GSEs’ combined net worth over the last six months of 2019, including fourth-quarter profit of $4.27 billion at Fannie and $2.45 billion at Freddie. (Includes data chart.)

In a contract worth up to $45 million over four years, the M&A specialist will help FHFA develop “a roadmap to responsibly end the conservatorships” of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Democratic senators ask Fannie and Freddie if they have attempted to model the risks associated with climate-related disasters, including floods, wildfires and extreme weather events.

All applications for LIBOR-based single-family and multifamily ARMs must be dated Sept. 30 or earlier or they won’t be eligible for sale to the GSEs.

Industry advocates point out that, unlike other forms of credit-risk transfer, private mortgage insurance stands in front of all other losses.

A Massachusetts couple pleaded guilty to mail fraud, identity theft and tax evasion in connection to a scheme to defraud Freddie Mac.

Federal Reserve economists found that black and Hispanic borrowers ended up with mortgage rates 2 to 3 bps higher than those of white borrowers. But they also found that these minority borrowers paid fewer points, offsetting the difference in interest rates.