Mortgages

Mortgage rates reached their lowest level this week since Freddie Mac began its Primary Mortgage Market Survey in 1971, but they might not have yet gotten to their floor.

The collateral in the $338 million also includes a large subset of mortgages (45% of the pool) that are considered "dirty current" loans with recent delinquent status.

In a letter to Director Mark Calabria, 17 organizations requested an additional 60 days to weigh in on the proposal meant to strengthen Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's balance sheets post-conservatorship.

Lenders and servicers' biggest pandemic challenges revolve around clarity for loan eligibility and understanding options for their borrowers once the forbearance period ends.

Multifamily borrowers with loans from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will get an extended break for coronavirus-related hardships if they continue to give their tenants relief as well.

The Supreme Court threw out a key statutory provision concerning the agency’s leadership structure, but the presidential election and possible legislative reforms could bring about more changes to the embattled bureau.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes surged in May by the most on record as mortgage rates fell and some states began to reopen from coronavirus lockdowns.

Nonbank servicers have been seeking more sources of cash since the coronavirus disrupted markets and elevated forbearance rates. These are some strategies they may be able to use.

As COVID-19 infections increase across the country, including in California, Citigroup has structured a residential mortgage-backed securities offering fit for the times, providing investors with a strong deal structure and robust collateral.

For banks with assets between $10 billion and $100 billion, the average exposure is 165% of capital.

Even as interest rates remained at record-low levels, mortgage application activity for both purchases and refinancings declined compared to one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

A new CFPB rule will expedite the forbearance and loss-mitigation process for consumers suffering financial hardship from the pandemic.

On the heels of its first CLO transaction this year, Western Asset Management is back in the market with a $355.72 million private-label RMBS offering in which a tenth of the borrowers have been granted forbearance.

Vista Point Mortgage is aggregating a collection of mostly non-conforming mortgages that it acquired from several originators.

Whatever path Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac take, the Mortgage Bankers Association would like to see them preserve many of the changes they made while in government conservatorship.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to change the definition of what constitutes a qualified mortgage from a 43% debt-to-income limit to a price-based threshold, and further extend a temporary exemption given to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Compared with the week prior, approximately 57,000 fewer loans from all investor types were forborne.

Potential sales last month rose compared with April as homes became more affordable due to low mortgage rates.

New Residential Investment Corp., fresh off a substantial first-quarter reduction of its asset holdings, is now planning to securitize the receivables on its $200 billion servicing portfolio of Fannie Mae-owned mortgages.

The language most frequently spoken by LEP consumers is Spanish, followed by Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Tagalog. The Federal Housing Finance Agency's online clearinghouse translates CARES Act forbearance information into these languages.