Cart

Inside The GSEs

August 5, 2016

View Archived Issues

GSEs 2Q: Net Income Gains, Increased Reliance on G-Fees

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – in conservatorship for almost eight years now – posted combined net income of $3.94 billion for the second quarter, with an assist from higher guaranty fee income and a noticeable decline in hedging charges. Fannie’s profit was $2.9 billion for the second quarter, more than double the $1.1 billion reported last quarter. The GSE attributed the increase in net income to lower fair value losses in the quarter, coupled with high credit-related income due to home price increases and interest rate decreases. Higher net revenues driven by increased mortgage prepayments also helped. Fannie booked $3.26 billion of guaranty fee income in 2Q16, compared to $3.22 billion in the first quarter. Read More

Guaranty-Fee Report Released, Watt Says Current Fees Appropriate

GSE guaranty fees more than doubled from 2011 to 2015, increasing from an average of 26 basis points in 2011 to 56 basis points in 2015, according to a new report published this week. That sharp increase has prompted trade and community groups to lobby for lower fees. However, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt said this week that the current charges “strike the right balance, between safety and soundness and liquidity in the housing finance market,” according to a reply letter he sent to the Center for Responsible Lenders, Mortgage Bankers Association and a host of others seeking a fee reduction. In the FHFA’s annual report to Congress on guaranty fees... Read More

FHFA Nixes URLA Language Preference Question

The Federal Housing Finance Agency concluded that adding a question about a borrower’s language preference on its updated Uniform Residential Loan Application form was probably not a good idea after all, at least for now. The URLA is an industry-standard loan application that has remained pretty much the same for the last two decades. The FHFA is charged with finalizing the redesigned application this summer to give lenders adequate time to prepare for the new form in January 2018.In an attempt to recognize the growing numbers of non-English speakers, the FHFA considered adding a question about the borrower’s primary language. Read More

GSE New Business Surged in July on Boom in Purchase Mortgages

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac processed a huge increase in single-family business through their mortgage-backed securities platforms in July, according to a new Inside The GSEs analysis and ranking.Total single-family MBS issuance hit $83.27 billion in July, a solid 9.3 percent increase from the June. It was the biggest monthly output for the two GSEs since August 2013, when they had a combined $98.83 billion in single-family MBS issuance. Most of the gain came from a 15.3 percent jump in purchase-mortgage business in July. But the flow of refinance loans also increased, by a more modest 3.6 percent, from the previous month. Read More

Talks of Post-Crisis Loss Mitigation Program Underway

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is well along on planning a replacement program for underwater mortgages with an announcement coming “relatively soon,” Freddie Mac CEO Donald Layton said this week. The successor program will be a “relief refinance” initiative, he said in an interview with Inside The GSEs, noting the borrower will be able to refinance “without going through a full new regular credit process.” Layton added that mortgage professionals should think of the new effort as a cousin to the Home Affordable Refinance Program, which is set to expire at the end of the year. There are approximately 325,290 borrowers still eligible for a refinance under the HARP initiative, according to FHFA’s figures. Read More

Multifamily Moderating Some But Still Strong in First Half of 2016

The multifamily market continued to stay strong in the first half of 2016, despite a slowdown in origination volume. GSE multifamily business soared with record volumes in 2015 when lending reached $90 billion. Freddie Mac said steady economic growth and key drivers will keep the multifamily market moving forward through the remainder of 2016 and into next year. In its mid-year multifamily outlook, the mortgage giant noted that origination volume will have another record year in 2016, thanks to increasing property prices, new completions and maturities. Although fundamentals moderated some in the first half of the year, Freddie said they won’t decelerate enough to derail the multifamily industry because demand remains robust. Read More

FHFA OIG Defends Against Senators' Accusations

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Office of Inspector General disagreed with lawmakers’ allegations that organizational changes within the oversight agency have led to inefficiency.In June, Sens. Charles Grassley, R-IA, and Ron Johnson, R-WI, asked the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to review the FHFA OIG. The senators said that staff cuts in the Office of Audits over the past two years, combined with money spent to hire outside employees, has led to decreased production since FHFA IG Laura Wertheimer took reign in 2014. They complained that the agency produced less audit reports in 2015 and said some reports that were completed were not published. Read More

FHLB Advances Up in Second Quarter, Earnings Down

The Federal Home Loan Bank System witnessed a quarterly drop in earnings, but posted an 11.6 percent jump in advances in the second quarter as lenders ramped up mortgage originations. The combined net income was $792 million in the second quarter of 2016. That number is down from the $825 million in the previous quarter. The report noted that the 12-month increase was mostly due to ... Read More

More Documents Unsealed in GSE Shareholder Case

More unsealed documents were released this week during the discovery process in a GSE shareholder case in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The eight documents ranged from an excerpt of former White House housing policy expert Jim Parrott’s deposition from January,to presentations from the Federal Housing Finance Agency in 2008 to several memos dating back to 2008 and 2012. In the two-page Parrott deposition excerpt, he said that the net worth sweep was a “Treasury-driven process,” when asked why he didn’t reach out to anyone on Capitol Hill about the plan. He added that to the degree there was outreach to Congress, it would have come from Treasury, not him. Read More

Fannie Sold Small NPL Pool to PE Firm for the First Time

Corona Asset Management XVIII won Fannie Mae’s fourth Community Impact Pool of nonperforming loans. Last week’s announcement represented the first time that the pool was sold to a private equity firm instead of a nonprofit group. The Community Impact Pool is structured to encourage nonprofits, as well as smaller investors and minority- and women-owned businesses. It’s designed to include geographically focused, high-occupancy collateral where bidders have a longer than usual time to participate in hopes of attracting diverse participation. Fannie began marketing this particular pool to possible bidders back in June with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and CastleOak Securities, L.P. Read More

Democrats Seek Housing Access, Foreclosure Prevention

The Democratic Party released its 2016 platform and its priorities range from expanding foreclosure prevention programs to increasing access to affordable housing and preserving the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. Dave Stevens, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said that when it comes to housing, the Democratic and Republican platforms are starkly different. “The Republican platform is almost solely about removing burdens on financial institutions and others who build homes, and the Democratic platform deals with both the demand and supply side in their policies,” he said during one of several real estate panels held at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia Democrats specifically mentioned... Read More

GSE Roundup

OPERS Lawsuit Reinstated Over Freddie Subprime Loans. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision that had cleared Freddie Mac of charges that it misled investors about its involvement in the subprime mortgage market. The lawsuit was filed in 2008 by the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which claimed Freddie made false public financial statements that hid its exposure to risky loans. The fund alleged that it lost more than $27.2 million as the value of Freddie stock plummeted. OPERS said the 29 percent drop in stock price in 2007 followed Freddie’s disclosure of a $2 billion loss. The pension fund claimed... Read More

Latest Imf News

More Imf News

Featured Data

More Featured Data

Featured Reports

More Latest Reports

Featured Poll

As homeowner equity continues to build, more and more lenders are launching home equity lending products. Are you thinking of joining this market?

View Results