Mortgages

The restrictions on the pooling of loans with any interest term based on Libor will be effective for traditional mortgage-backed securities issued starting Jan. 21, 2021, and earlier for reverse-mortgage securitizations.

More defaults will lead to an increase in distressed sales, and that will drive down prices, CoreLogic said.

Bondholders could see principal losses if, due to the way the documents are worded, the rate is frozen at the last published amount.

The loans, which are not federally guaranteed, are refinancings of student-loan debt held by prime borrowers primarily with advanced medical degrees.

Home starts fell more than forecast in August, reflecting less construction of apartments and a decline in the tropical storm-hit South, representing a pause in momentum for a housing market that's been a key source of fuel for the economy.

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

Low rates, along with increased new and existing home sales activity drives the latest forecast.

Mortgage applications decreased 2.5% from one week earlier as refinance activity appears to decelerating, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Electronic notes did come in handy this year given the mortgage industry's need to operate remotely, but they also increase the government-sponsored enterprises' responsibility for monitoring the risk of multiple counterparties.

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.

Only 18% of refinance borrowers returned to the same lender in the second quarter, the second lowest rate since 2005.

Also the Federal Housing Administration, which is a key contributor of government-insured loans to Ginnie securitizations, recently set new conditions on mortgage applicants that have been in forbearance.

The guidelines are somewhat similar to those the Federal Housing Finance Agency established for the government-sponsored enterprise market in response to the high number of loans impacted by coronavirus-related hardships.

More consumer and commercial borrowers are paying their loans, increasing the likelihood that charge-offs will be manageable for banks despite the ongoing pandemic.

The Senate Banking Committee met Wednesday to review central bank lending facilities such as the Main Street Lending Program, which provides bank-issued loans to middle-market firms. But some lawmakers on the panel said the focus of pandemic relief has been misplaced.

"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.

An emergency expansion of federal rental assistance would cost between $12 billion and $16 billion a month, depending on whether enhanced unemployment benefits are extended alongside. That is a bargain in comparison with the $2.2 trillion price of the last coronavirus relief package.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's proposal could undermine the companies’ mission to support the housing market and penalize consumers in underserved communities, industry and consumer groups say.

The agency’s plan to extend the "qualified mortgage" stamp of approval to more loans could help lenders that rely on alternative data and cushion the blow of other QM changes for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.