Economy

A Clever Real Estate survey found a significant share of new borrowers are not making their full payment.

Evidence suggests some minority-owned businesses can’t access loans, and the Trump administration is under pressure to report borrower demographics. The issue is gaining attention against the backdrop of protests over the George Floyd killing.

But deal sponsors are primarily restricting property assets to the lower risk multifamily and office buildings that lenders are more confident will weather the economic strains brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

The measures extended by the Federal Housing Finance Agency include alternative methods used for certain appraisals and for verification of employment.

The expected rise in refinance volume overrides pessimism about purchase activity for their businesses.

The Federal Housing Administration's move to insure loans with forbearance could help support homeownership opportunities constrained by the coronavirus if one change was made to it, trade groups said.

The FHFA’s proposal is intended to strengthen Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but many experts warn that it could boost guarantee fees for lenders that they say may be passed on to borrowers.

About 9% of government-insured loans in forbearance have low equity, which could hamper post-forbearance servicing.

Now that TPG Capital has steered its $88 billion of investments through the first phase of the coronavirus crisis, co-Chief Executive Officer Jon Winkelried is turning his attention to other issues, like picking up the pace of dealmaking.

But there was an increase in private-label mortgages in forbearance.

One criticism of the CARES Act is that it provides relief only to borrowers with government-backed loans. Bills in New York and California would cover the remaining 30% of homeowners.

The new FHFA rule sets a percentage-based threshold to measure compliance, rather than Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.

The FHFA looks to shed light on the amount of funds Fannie and Freddie will need to hold for their risk-sharing deals.

The firm also predicts that the coronavirus pandemic will delay the GSEs' release from government control.

With no way of knowing just how many borrowers will need the mods after the coronavirus forbearance period ends, lenders are deploying artificial intelligence and servicing protocols to tame the ferocious piles of paperwork awaiting them.

Steps have been taken to manage coronavirus-related liquidity risks to the housing finance system, but some remain, according to Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO Robert Broeksmit.

The new regulation is intended as a workaround for banks affected by the 2015 decision that created legal uncertainty for loans sold across state lines.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have different timelines for the switch.

Investors are looking past signs of weakness and toward an eventual recovery, but top executives at BlackRock, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and other financial firms remain cautious as many cities and states remain in partial lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The economic contraction caused by the coronavirus pandemic has been worse than the Wall Street firm had modeled two months ago, its president John Waldron said Wednesday.