Freddie Mac

One of the top banking regulators during the 2008 financial crisis could have a hand in nudging Fannie Mae out of conservatorship.

The forbearance rate improved to the a level not seen since early April, but getting back to pre-COVID levels will require employment gains or additional government stimulus measures, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

But both fell short under the Duty to Serve goals in rural housing.

A booming housing market contrasts with a slow-to-improve job market, making for lopsided improvement in the number of troubled mortgages, according to numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage rates fell this week to another record low, and are now over a full percentage point below where they were five years ago, according to Freddie Mac.

The overall forbearance rate was under 6% for the first time since April as another large swath of loans fell out of CARES Act coverage, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

While using the 30-day SOFR as its index, Freddie Mac structured the deal so it could shift to a one-month term if and when that rate is approved.

Just a week after commenting that the bottom on mortgage rates was possibly reached, Freddie Mac reported that they fell 6 basis points to another record low.

Forbearance rates dropped below 7% for the first time in six months, but the decrease is largely due to the ending of the initial six-month term of forbearance granted by the legislation, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage rates remained flat this week, a sign that the bottom has possibly been reached, but the housing market looks to remain strong for the near future, according to Freddie Mac.

GSE mortgages in forbearance fell for the 17th straight week, spearheading the overall downtrend, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage rates fell back toward their all-time low this week, increasing purchasing power for homebuyers. But the lack of homes for sale drives up prices and reduces affordability, according to Freddie Mac.

Student housing and assisted/independent living centers were small portions of Freddie's multifamily securitizations prior to COVID, but Kroll noticed they've been missing in most rated deals since spring.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council said the mortgage giants may need a bigger capital cushion than their regulator has proposed, but stopped short of designating them as “systemically important financial institutions.”

Mortgage rates experienced a marginal uptick this week, rising three basis points. But they remained near record lows and possibly soon could track down again, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage rates remained relatively flat, rising a single basis point off of last week's record low, according to Freddie Mac.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been slammed for planning an additional refinancing charge to cover COVID-related losses, but the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency defended the policy in House testimony.

The government-sponsored enterprise’s seller/servicer guide is now integrated into the online portal. Freddie also improved the readability of loan-level reporting it provides, and has further changes in the works.

After flattening over the three prior weeks, the number of loans going into coronavirus-related forbearance dove at a rate not seen since early August, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

"The current economic crisis continues to disproportionately impact borrowers with FHA and VA loans," said Mike Fratantoni, the MBA's senior vice president and chief economist.