National Mortgage News, Nov. 2, 2020–Brad Finkelstein (subscription)Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac exceeded their affordable housing goals during 2019, but fell short under the Duty to Serve goals in …
Category: Top National News
Prop. 21 Would Reduce Quantity and Quality of Rental Housing
L.A. Times, Nov. 2, 2020–Adam B. SummersEveryone agrees that housing costs in California are extremely high and push many individuals and families over the edge financially. In such an environment, …
Fannie Mae Finalizing Plans for Switch to Hedge Accounting
National Mortgage News, Oct. 29, 2020–Bonnie Sinnock (subscription)The upcoming shift may help to prepare the government-sponsored enterprise for a conservatorship exit by reducing interest-rate volatility in Fannie’s earnings.https://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/fannie-mae-finalizing-plans-for-switch-to-hedge-accounting
With ARM Rates Falling Below Fixed Mortgages, Are Adjustables Making a Comeback?
Bankrate.com, Oct. 29, 2020–Zach WichterBankrate spoke to Dan Fichtler, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s associate vice president of housing finance policy about what the new, lower ARM rates mean for consumers.https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/are-adjustables-arms-making-a-comeback/
Readjusting to the New Non-QM Landscape
Mortgage Professional America, Oct. 29, 2020–Kasi JohnstonAll signs are pointing up in non-QM. Rates are competitive and continue to decline, and the lenders who have re-entered the market have been …
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Third-Quarter Earnings Rise on Mortgage Refinance Boom
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 29, 2020–Andrew Ackerman (subscription)Government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reported improved earnings in the third quarter, as record-low interest rates fueled a refinancing boom …
Barrett Could Cement Court’s Restrictive View of Debt Collection Cases
National Mortgage News, Oct. 28, 2020–Kate Berry (subscription)A 2019 decision by Amy Coney Barrett, then a 7th Circuit judge, cited an earlier Supreme Court ruling suggesting a high bar for …
Struggling Rental Market Could Usher in Next American Housing Crisis
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2020–Will Parker (subscription)A housing crisis centered on the vast apartment and home-rental markets is emerging in the U.S., threatening to send millions of renters into …
Lenders Cracking Down on Mall Owners Behind on the Mortgage
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2020–Esther Fung (subscription)More lenders are starting to deliver a stern new message to delinquent mall owners: time to pay up.https://www.wsj.com/articles/lenders-cracking-down-on-mall-owners-behind-on-the-mortgage-11603800000?
California’s Proposition 15 Would Undo Limits on Commercial Property Taxes
Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2020–Peter Grant and Christine Mai-Duc (subscription)More than 40 years after imposing severe restrictions on property-tax increases, California voters might begin rolling them back next week, …