Ginnie Mae and FHA on Friday issued updates addressing mortgage servicer liquidity issues that could result from the coronavirus pandemic.
Tag: Coronavirus

MBA Raises Concerns with SEC on Broker-Dealer Margin Call Volatility
The Mortgage Bankers Association, in a letter Sunday to the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, raised “urgent concern” about dramatic price volatility in the market for agency mortgage-backed securities over the past week that leading to broker-dealer margin calls on mortgage lenders’ hedge positions that are unsustainable for many such lenders.

The CMBS Market During a Pandemic: A Fitch Ratings Q&A
MBA NewsLink interviewed Fitch Ratings Senior Director of Structured Finance Adam Fox and Senior Director Britt Johnson about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the commercial mortgage-backed securities market.

House Approves $2 Trillion Stimulus Bill; Trump Signs into Law
The House on Friday approved a massive $2 trillion stimulus bill aimed at injecting a much-needed boost to a U.S. economy that has been staggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

MBA, Trade Groups Ask DHS to Declare Housing ‘Essential Infrastructure Business’
The Mortgage Bankers Association joined more than 90 industry trade groups in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, urging DHS to designate construction of single-family and multifamily housing as an “Essential Infrastructure Business.”

New York Fed Posts TALF Term Sheet
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York last week posted a term sheet indicating servicing advances are eligible collateral for borrowing from the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan facility, also known as TALF.

MBA, Trade Groups Outline Challenges Facing Borrowers Amid COVID-19
The Mortgage Bankers Association and a half-dozen industry trade groups last week sent a letter to the White House and other government agencies discussing concerns and challenges facing homeowners in paying their mortgage due to the COVID-19 crisis.

FHFA Authorizes GSEs to Support Additional Liquidity in Secondary Mortgage Market; Provide Flexibility in Appraisals, Employment Verifications
The Federal Housing Finance Agency yesterday issued two directives to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—one to enter into additional dollar roll transactions to provide mortgage-backed securities investors with short-term financing of their positions; and the other to provide alternative flexibilities to satisfy appraisal requirements and employment verification requirements.

Federal Agencies ‘Will not Criticize’ Coronavirus Loan Mods
Six federal agencies on Sunday issued a joint statement encouraging financial institutions to “work constructively” with borrowers affected by the coronavirus pandemic and said they “will not criticize” loan modifications made in a “safe and sound” manner.

FHFA, HUD Suspend Foreclosures/Evictions for 60 Days
HUD and the Federal Housing Finance Agency last week suspended foreclosures and evictions for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA mortgages for at least the next 60 days amid the coronavirus pandemic.