The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Monday announced a new rule that would require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to provide advance notice to FHFA of new activities and obtain prior approval before launching new products. The rule, which was announced by FHFA Director Mark Calabria at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s annual meeting, “establishes revised criteria for determining whether a new activity requires notice to FHFA and for determining if that activity is a new product that merits public notice and comment.” “The proposed rule will enhance the safety and soundness of the secondary mortgage market by ensuring the Enterprises adhere to their statutory missions,” Calabria said. “This proposed rule is an important step as the Agency works to end…
Mortgage rates are expected to remain near record lows through next year and home prices are expected to climb, though not as quickly as this year, according to Freddie Mac’s quarterly housing forecast. The forecast predicts: The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is expected to be 3.2 percent in 2020 and 3.0 percent in 2021. Currently, rates sit at 2.87 percent.House price growth is expected to increase to an annual rate of 5.5 percent in 2020 before slowing to 2.6 percent next year.Home sales are expected to increase in 2020 to 6.2 million homes and decrease in 2021 to 6.1 million homes.Purchase originations are expected to increase to $1.414 trillion in 2020 and $1.445 trillion in 2021.Refinance originations are expected to…
In the wake of Hurricane Delta, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are reminding homeowners of the mortgage assistance and disaster relief options available to them. Relief options include: Homeowners may request mortgage assistance by contacting their mortgage servicer following a disasterMortgage servicers are authorized to suspend or reduce a homeowner’s mortgage payments for up to 90 days – even without establishing contact – if the servicer believes the homeowner was affected by the disasterHomeowners affected by a disaster are often eligible to reduce or suspend their mortgage payments for up to 12 monthsDuring this temporary payment break:Homeowners will not incur late feesForeclosure and other legal proceedings are suspended “Hurricane Delta will mark the fifth hurricane to hit the U.S. so…
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced Thursday that they are extending the ban on single-family foreclosures and evictions for properties with mortgages managed by the two companies. The suspension, which was put in place to protect homeowners and renters amid the pandemic, will be in effect through the end of the year. It had been set to expire next week. “The extension of our eviction and foreclosure moratorium is just one part of the comprehensive assistance we’re providing borrowers and communities impacted by COVID-19,” said Donna Corley, executive vice president and head of Freddie Mac’s Single-Family business. “We are committed to helping families affected by the pandemic, and we have instructed servicers to work with borrowers who are unable to…
One month at a time. The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Wednesday announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac again extend flexible policies put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including buying loans in forbearance. “Extending these COVID-19 flexibilities helps keep the mortgage market moving and borrowers safe during the pandemic,” FHFA Director Mark Calabria said. The extensions cover: Buying qualified loans in forbearance.Alternative appraisals on purchase and rate-term refinance loans.Alternative methods for documenting income and verifying employment before loan closing.Expanding the use of power of attorney to assist with loan closings. The extension is through Sept. 30. The policies had been set to expire on Monday.…
State bankers associations from every state sent a letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria, urging him to rescind the “adverse market fee” on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage refinances. The fee is designed to protect Fannie and Freddie from risk associated with the pandemic. It charges 0.5 percent of the loan amount to the borrower who is refinancing, or roughly $1,400 on the typical mortgage in the United States. “The new fee, referred to as an “adverse market refinance fee,” will harm consumers in urban, rural, and suburban communities across the country,” the associations said in the letter. “Borrowers have been helped by the historically low interest rates, allowing them to refinance their loans into significantly lower…
A coalition of housing, banking and public interest groups on Thursday strongly condemned the Federal Housing Finance Agency for implementing an “adverse market fee” on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage refinances. The fee is designed to protect Fannie and Freddie from risk associated with the pandemic. It charges 0.5 percent of the loan amount to the borrower, or nearly $1,500 on the typical mortgage in the United States. The American Bankers Association, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and 17 other organizations called the fee an “ill-timed, misguided” surprise. “Wednesday night’s surprise announcement by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) conflicts with the Administration’s recent executive actions urging federal agencies to take all measures within their authority…
Multifamily property owners whose mortgages are backed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae must inform tenants in writing about rent and eviction protections if they enter into a new or modified forbearance agreement, The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Thursday. While in forbearance due to economic challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, property owners must agree not to evict tenants solely for not paying rent. “Landlords in forbearance must notify their tenants that they cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent due to the pandemic,” FHFA Director Mark Calabria said. “If tenants are able to pay their rent, they should continue to do so.” Other protections previously announced include: Giving tenants at least a 30-day notice to vacate;Not charging tenants…
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reported financial results for the second quarter on Thursday, with Fannie notching net income of $2.5 billion and Freddie recording $1.9 billion. Both companies reported significantly higher net worth as of June 30. Here are the details: Fannie Mae Fannie Mae reported net income of $2.5 billion for the second quarter of 2020, compared with net income of $461 million for the first quarter of 2020 – due primarily to a decline in credit-related expense in the second quarter of 2020 compared with the first quarter of 2020. Fannie Mae’s net worth increased from $13.9 billion as of March 31, 2020 to $16.5 billion as of June 30, 2020. Fannie Mae provided $542 billion in…
The Federal Finance Housing Agency on Monday announced 2021 housing goals for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that are identical to the mortgage purchase goals that were in place for the last three years. “Due to the economic uncertainty related to the COVID-19 national pandemic, FHFA is proposing benchmarks for calendar year 2021 only, and those levels will remain the same as they were for 2018-2020,” FHFA said in announcing the goals. Here are the single-family goals for 2021: GoalCurrent 2018-2020 benchmark Proposed 2021 benchmarkLow-Income Home Purchase Goal24 percent24 percentVery Low-Income Home Purchase Goal6 percent6 percentLow-Income Areas Home Purchase Subgoal14 percent14 percentLow-Income Refinancing Goal21 percent21 percent Here are the multi-family goals for 2021: GoalCurrent 2018-2020 benchmark Proposed 2021 benchmark Low-Income Goal315,000…
