Tag Archives: Freddie Mac

As the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) mulls over a proposed increase in guarantee fees, a new report from the Urban Institute (UI) suggests the agency faces a more difficult task than one might assume. In a commentary released Thursday, UI authors Laurie Goodman, Ellie Seidman, Jim Parrott, and Jun Zhu say that, based on their modeling, g-fee determination "is an art, not a science—and more like a Jackson Pollock than a da Vinci."

The average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) dropped to a year-low 4.12 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending August 14, according to Freddie Mac, down from 4.14 percent from the week ending August 7 and from 4.40 percent from the same week in 2013.

After half a year of failed predictions and slow starts, the U.S. economy actually appears to be closing in on normal, at least according to Freddie Mac. Freddie's latest Economic and Housing Market Outlook shows that the agency expects to see the U.S. housing market driven once again by fundamentals—jobs, household formations, and affordability—rather than economic upheaval.

While policymakers have made some headway in pushing through different GSE reform packages, a new report from Kroll Bond Rating Agency contends any reform legislation is unlikely to pass through Congress before the 2016 general election at the earliest.

In the first step of what is planned to be a multi-year effort, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has put out a request for industry input on the development of a common mortgage-backed security (MBS) designed to be issued and guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

Nearly three months after first settling into the 4.10 percent to 4.20 percent range, long-term fixed mortgage rates continue to show little movement. According to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate this week came to an average 4.14 percent (0.7 point), up slightly from 4.12 percent in the last survey.

The U.S. government is set to see another $5.6 billion from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as both GSEs continue to post solid earnings. Both companies released on Thursday their earnings reports for the second quarter, reporting subdued profits compared to recent quarters as settlement earnings and other previous one-time benefits subside.

A new $2.5 billion GSE mortgage servicing rights (MSR) portfolio has hit the market. MountainView Servicing Group, acting as exclusive sale advisor to the MSR seller, unveiled the portfolio, which includes both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. According to MountainView, the portfolio is made up of 94 percent fixed-rate and first-lien product with an average loan size of $226,161.

A federal judge has ordered Bank of America to pay nearly $1.3 billion in penalties over a fraud case decided last year. The case revolved around a lending procedure referred to as the "High-Speed Swim Lane, "which prosecutors say was designed to churn out loans as quickly as possible with little regard for risk.

After fizzling out over the past several quarters, the post-recession refinance boom officially ended in the quarter, according to data from Freddie Mac. The mortgage behemoth released on Tuesday the results of its quarterly refinance analysis for Q2, showing that refinancing fell in the last three months to below 50 percent of total mortgage activity as rising interest rates have stifled demand.