Japanese Homebuilder, Sidwell Friends Buying Fannie Mae Headquarters

Washington Post, Nov. 30, 2016–O’Connell, Jonathan
Japanese home-building giant Sekisui House announced Wednesday that it is buying the main Fannie Mae headquarters building on Wisconsin Avenue NW in an $89 million deal for one of the largest development sites in the District.

2017 Refinance Outlook Slashed Over $170 Billion

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 30, 2016
Freddie Mac, which made the predictions in its November 2016 Economic & Housing Market Forecast, cut its first-quarter 2017 forecast from $340 billion projected last month.

New Post-Crisis Low Delinquency at Fannie

Mortgage Daily, Nov. 30, 2016
Serious residential loan delinquency at Fannie Mae dropped to the lowest level since it fell into conservatorship.

Credit Risk Transfer Plan Draws Mixed Reactions

GoRion, Dec. 1, 2016–Sichelman, Lew
Dissident stockholders in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rolled out the heavy guns earlier this month to slow what appears to be a groundswell of support for the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s plan to reduce the government’s risk exposure by moving more private capital into the first-loss position ahead of the GSEs’ through expanded mortgage insurance.

B of A Close to Completing Consumer Relief Mandate: Monitor

National Mortgage News, Dec. 1, 2016–Passy, Jacob
Bank of America has conditionally completed 97% of the $7 billion in consumer relief it agreed to provide as part of its 2014 settlement with the Department of Justice and six states. 

Fannie Drives Down Agency MBS Issuance

Mortgage Daily, Dec. 1, 2016
Issuance of agency mortgage-backed securities retreated to the lowest level in four months.

Trump Nominates Former Presidential Hopeful Ben Carson as HUD Chief

Washington Post, Dec. 5, 2016
“I am thrilled to nominate Dr. Ben Carson as our next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ben Carson has a brilliant mind and is passionate about strengthening communities and families within those communities,” the president-elect said.

MBA’s Stevens Praises Trump’s GSE Reform Focus

National Mortgage Professional, Dec. 2, 2016–Hall, Phil
The incoming Trump Administration’s decision to prioritize the long-stalled reform of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) has been greeted with praise from the head of the nation’s major mortgage banking trade group.