Multifamily

Experts expect only a small uptick in distressed mortgages, either through default or inability to refinance, which will create some opportunity for debt buyers

Raising the capital gains tax and code changes could have more of an impact on the public debt market than rising interest rates, according to a panelist at the Urban Land Institute's Spring event.

Short-term late payment rates rose again and later stage delinquencies remain at elevated levels compared to those prior to the pandemic, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

However, the number of borrowers who failed to remit payment but were not yet 30 days overdue increased.

About 3.4 million renters believe themselves to be at risk of eviction, but when the moratorium ends, the actual number may be between 130,000 and 660,000, according to a Zillow report published Monday.

New assistance for renters may help but past efforts, while necessary, failed to get relief to renters in an expedient way, said David Brickman, who is now the head of a new agency lending platform backed by Barings and Meridian Capital.

The agency will allow an additional three months of forbearance for multifamily property loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as long as tenant protections are offered.

The company purchased $1.1 trillion of single-family mortgages and $83 billion of multifamily loans during 2020.

The Biden administration could encourage the FHFA to increase the caps or restore exclusions for certain types of loans, which would boost overall volumes.

Declining month-over-month delinquency levels and the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations potentially give hope to more normalized economic activity.