Coronavirus

With mortgage rates reaching all-time lows in the opening quarter, refinance originations were up in 97% of housing markets during 1Q, according to Attom Data Solutions.

Progress Residential is bringing its next securitization of single-family rental properties to market, even as concerns mount on the depth of pandemic-driven tenant forbearance and delinquency trends.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency clarified that borrowers with Fannie Mae- or Freddie Mac-backed mortgages who have entered into forbearance plans can be eligible for a refi or new purchase once they are considered “current” on their mortgage.

Total forbearance driven by the coronavirus rose by 25 basis points, which suggests it is still growing but at a slowing pace, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Ginnie Mae is offering temporary relief related to its acceptable delinquency-rate threshold in response to issuers' need to fulfill the forbearance requirements in the coronavirus rescue package.

First Republic is preparing a private-label residential mortgage-backed securities transaction and could be the first bank to launch this type of deal since the coronavirus first roiled U.S. markets in mid-March.

The central bank's Financial Stability Report said companies may face difficulties repaying debt given lower earnings, “which could trigger a sizable increase in firm defaults."

The agency's announcement came one day after the agency said it would provide borrowers struggling to stay current with an additional payment deferral option.

Eligible borrowers can add the forborne payments to the end of their loan term.

The head of the U.S. central bank said its emergency credit programs were not designed to prop businesses up over the long term.