Wall Street Journal, Dec. 10, 2019–Ben Eisen (subscription)Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are pulling back on some mortgages meant to make homeownership more affordable, their latest effort to rein in …
Category: Top National News
Inflation-Tamer Paul Volcker, Former Fed Chairman, Dies at 92
HousingWire, Dec. 9, 2019–Kathleen HowleyPaul Volcker, the stogie-smoking former chairman of the Federal Reserve who pioneered the policies responsible for today’s sub-4% mortgage rates, died Sunday in New York at …
Refinance Retention Rates Take a Tumble
National Mortgage Professional, Dec. 9, 2019–Phil HallAlthough refinancing activity has soared by 94 percent since hitting an 18-year low in the fourth quarter of 2018, refinance retention rates fell by …
Consumer Housing Confidence Rises as Buying Conditions Strengthen
National Mortgage News, Dec. 9, 2019–Paul Centopani (subscription)With more consumers believing it’s a great time to buy a home, the Home Purchase Sentiment Index had its best November since the …
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Make the 30-Year Mortgage Possible
Bloomberg, Dec. 9, 2019–Joe NoceraIn this opinion piece the author asks, “Why would the federal government try to privatize the companies if they’re doing their job now?”https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-12-09/fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-make-the-30-year-mortgage-possible
Credit Standards are Loosening: Buyers May Now Find it Easier to Get a Mortgage
The Mortgage Reports, Dec. 9, 2019–Aly J. YaleAccording to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, it’s getting easier to get a mortgage. The MBA’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index rose …
For Eighth Straight Quarter, CMBS Loan Delinquency Rates Drop: MBA
National Mortgage News, Dec. 6, 2019–Paul Centopani (subscription)Most commercial and multifamily loan-delinquency rates remained near record lows in the third quarter thanks to low mortgage rates and high property values, …
Mortgage-Backed Securities Held By U.S. Commercial Banks Surpasses $2 Trillion: Cause For Concern?
Forbes, Dec. 9, 2019–Trefis TeamMortgage-backed securities played a pivotal role in triggering the 2008 recession. And there was a notable reduction in the amount of MBS U.S. banks held on …
Longtime Philadelphia Mortgage Exec Named CEO of Fannie-Freddie Joint Venture
Philadelphia Business Journal, Dec. 6, 2019–Jeff BlumenthalCommon Securitization Solutions, or CSS, has been instrumental in building and running the technology platform that supports the new Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security. Anthony N. …
The Median Age of Homebuyers is Now 47. How Did That Happen?
HousingWire, Dec. 6, 2019–Julia FalconDespite recent data that younger generations are beginning to buy houses, on the whole, those same generations are waiting far longer than their parents did to …