The renewed interest in CRT was especially pronounced at Fannie, as the GSE avoided issuing Connecticut Avenue Securities in the fourth quarter.

Leaders at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac detailed how Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and new chairman at the GSEs, is influencing activity at the companies.

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

The FHLBanks’ decision to voluntarily increase contributions to affordable housing and community development from 10% of net income to 15% has taken a toll on profits. (Includes three data tables.)

FHFA Director Bill Pulte criticized recent cost increases by FICO and indicated he’ll continue the move from Classic FICO to a combination of FICO 10T and VantageScore 4.0.

Speaking at the MBA’s secondary and capital markets conference this week, Fannie and Freddie executives appeared to tailor their remarks to address the priorities of the new FHFA director.

If confirmed as Treasury’s head of domestic finance, Jonathan McKernan could have a say in whether the GSEs are released from conservatorship. If so, he may have to renounce an FHFA rule created when he was senior counsel at the agency.

At the urging of FHFA Director Bill Pulte, Freddie is accelerating its release of “on hold” technologies that may help cut origination costs.

Fannie’s Desktop Underwriter and Freddie’s Loan Product Advisor were both updated to include FHFA’s 2025 area median income figures. The changes affect eligibility for duty-to-serve and affordable housing programs.

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