In March, the GSEs refinanced close to 100,000 loans through HARP, bringing the program total since the 2009 inception to nearly 2.4 million.
Read More »Economy, Housing Continuing on Slow Track to ‘Normal’
While fiscal headwinds have held back economic growth, Fannie Mae maintains in its newest outlook that the recovery should pick up the pace in the year's second half.
Read More »Shareholders Sue Government for Losses on GSE Stocks
Two law firms have joined to file a class action lawsuit against the United States government, alleging it violated the Fifth Amendment when it took the GSEs into conservatorship.
Read More »Analysts: GSE Liquidation Bill Unlikely to Pass Unscathed
While a new bill proposing the liquidation of the GSEs might have investors unsure about their future, analysts at Barclays insist there is little to worry about for the time being. The bill, authored by Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and titled the "Secondary Mortgage Market Reform Act of 2013," represents a major bipartisan step for housing finance reform. However, the team at Barclays believes the legislation may not go anywhere in its current form.
Read More »Optimism Toward Buying, Selling Reaches Record Highs
According to Fannie Mae's May 2013 National Housing Survey, Americans expressed record confidence in price gains, with 55 percent--a survey high--saying they believe prices will go up in the next year. Only 7 percent of respondents in the survey expect prices to drop, the lowest level since the survey's inception. In addition, the average 12-month home price chance expectation was 3.9 percent, the highest level in the survey's history and a leap over April's 2.7 percent forecast.
Read More »Survey: Renters See Sensibility in Homeownership
To better gauge the future of homeownership and the current shift toward renting, Fannie Mae's National Housing Survey took a look at renter attitudes and preferences in Q3 2012 to get an idea of their aspirations and expectations. According to the findings, the majority of respondents believe renting has its advantages in terms of current finances and stress. However, when asked about control, privacy, security, and financial prospects, the vast majority (64 percent and up across each question) said owning is the better choice.
Read More »MBA: Secondary Market Reform Should Increase Small Lender Access
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released the third paper in its series on secondary market reform.
Read More »Fannie Mae Book of Business Grows Despite Drop in Mortgage Portfolio
Fannie Mae's total book of business grew slightly in April, though its mortgage portfolio saw another sizable dip.
Read More »FHFA, Citigroup Settle MBS Claims
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and Citigroup have reached a settlement over allegations of fraud in the selling of $3.5 billion of mortgage-backed securities.
Read More »NAFCU Speaks Out on Lender-Placed Insurance Restrictions
The National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) offered a comment letter Tuesday addressing the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) proposed restrictions on lender-placed insurance practices. In a response for the association, NAFCU senior regulatory affairs counsel Tessema Tefferi urges FHFA to scale back the discussed restrictions, which he believes are too broad. In addition, Tefferi asks the agency to ensure its policies and regulations are consistent with those already laid out in the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
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