Laura Wertheimer to depart in the wake of claims she fostered “a culture of witness intimidation.”

FHFA Acting Director Sandra Thompson begins building her leadership team.

Despite growing calls to begin the painful process of ending quantitative easing — at least for agency MBS — the FOMC says it’s maintaining its liberal monetary policy for the foreseeable future.

Fannie Mae is providing a monthly certification that its credit-risk sharing offerings comply with EU securitization requirements.

Sandra Thompson’s elevation to acting director from her role as head of housing mission and goals presaged FHFA’s new focus on fair lending practices enforcement.

Vague and undefined language in the eligibility requirements of the GSEs make it difficult for lenders to determine the mortgage eligibility of projects that include units rented on a short-term basis.

The report accused her of fostering a "culture of witness intimidation” and “a pattern of staff abuse.” In particular, it criticized the IG for refusing to cooperate with investigators and shunning congressional oversight.

But there's a catch. Fannie and Freddie now say they will allow PMIs to issue dividends without prior approval as soon as the third quarter, provided their excess PMIERS capital levels are greater than 50%. As of the fourth quarter, the excess capital threshold falls to just 15%.