GSEs

A hike in guarantee fees charged to lenders for the companies’ backing of loans was due to expire this year, but lawmakers now want to extend it to raise $21 billion for the bipartisan package.

The guarantor has for the first time proposed a risk-based capital requirement for companies not subject to other federal regulation. The industry says the plan, which would impose a heavy charge for servicing portfolios, could drive lenders away from government-backed programs.

The agency’s new chief said eliminating the “adverse market fee” — in place since December — will make it easier for families to refinance while mortgage rates are still low.

The return of more normalized numbers for two key players in the home loan market could be the lead-up to a wave that’s been anticipated since the coronavirus arrived.

The change makes it easier for borrowers exiting forbearance to get access to home retention options that might otherwise be out of reach due to skyrocketing home prices.

The Supreme Court decision cleared the way for further revisions to the agreements between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Treasury, which could include dismissing the January changes.

The Community Home Lenders Association has called for suspension of federal limits on the loan volumes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase from individual lenders. The demand came on the same day that the Biden administration fired FHFA Director Mark Calabria and started the process of nominating his successor.

President Biden removed Mark Calabria as Federal Housing Finance Agency director hours after a Supreme Court ruling made the move possible. The administration is expected to offer up a nominee who will prioritize affordable housing and racial equity in housing instead of reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

More than two-thirds surveyed said they expect to make less money over the next three months as price reductions ramp up along with a market shift to purchases.

For two decades, Alfred Pollard served as the general counsel for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator. He had a front-row seat for the establishment of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the government’s subsequent seizure of the mortgage giants amid mounting losses in 2008 and the more recent legal dispute over the FHFA’s authority.