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.

The central bank will disclose information on a monthly basis about its Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility and its Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility.

Rick Thornberry is looking to the lessons from the Great Recession and applying them to current conditions.

The agency is being methodical in its rollout of the Main Street Lending Program in hopes of avoiding missteps that followed the launch of other coronavirus relief efforts. But observers say delaying aid brings its own risks.

An indefinite closure of New York retail businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic added credit pressure on revenue bonds issued for the state’s largest mall.

PACE sponsors are raising capital and promoting plans to retroactively fund stalled CRE projects amid the COVID-19 outbreak, giving a potential boost to ABS activity in the space.

Complaints to the bureau hit an all-time high in April. More than one in five said servicers wouldn't grant deferrals, forced borrowers into forbearance or violated other requirements of the coronavirus relief law.

After ending 2019 on a high note, Ocwen Financial posted an income loss in the first quarter due to the unexpected costs and volatility created by COVID-19.

Three of the four had fewer new notices of delinquency for the quarter, but that should change going forward.

The Federal Reserve also said in a supervisory report released Friday that it would conduct stress tests this quarter as planned, taking into account sudden deterioration in the economy brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Up to 12% of loans under the $660 billion small-business rescue program could be tied to misleading or completely phony applications, fueling concerns about lenders' potential liability.