Fannie, Freddie to Face Bank-Like Liquidity Standards Starting Sept. 1

American Banker, July 31, 2020–Hannah Lang (subscription)The mortgage giants will have to meet benchmarks for covering cash flow needs during stressed periods.https://www.americanbanker.com/news/fannie-freddie-to-face-bank-like-liquidity-standards-starting-sept-1

Office Sector Woes Continue

Analysts say the pandemic shutdown and millions of job layoffs are weighing heavily on the office sector.

Momentum Builds as 2nd FHLB Accepts eNotes

Last month, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines became the first of the 11-member FHLB system to announce it would accept residential mortgage electronic promissory notes—eNotes—as collateral. Now, a second FHLB has jumped on the eNotes bandwagon.

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“The job market has cooled somewhat over the past few weeks, with layoffs increasing and other indications that the economic rebound may be losing some steam because of the rising COVID-19 cases throughout the country.”
–MBA Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni.

MBA: 2019 Multifamily Lending Up 7% to Record High

Fueled by strong market fundamentals and low interest rates, 2,589 different multifamily lenders provided $364.4 billion in new mortgages in 2019 for apartment buildings with five or more units, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s 2019 Multifamily Lending Report.