GSE reform

President Donald Trump is bringing in bank leaders to meet with him one by one at the White House. Beyond the economic discussion, there's a chance at a big payday for their firms.

Analysts awaiting specifics on the "implicit guarantee" for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are split on whether mortgage rates and guarantee fees could rise.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte is the new chair for both and he has removed several members while adding a few new names at each.

Three Democratic senators joined Republican colleagues to confirm the businessman, who previously voiced his support for easing government regulations.

Ryan Donovan, the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks' CEO, foresees affordable housing mandates becoming more focused on home supply than demand.

Releasing the GSEs from government conservatorship is on the agenda for the incoming Trump administration. Doing so could threaten the 30-year fixed rate mortgage.

The plan from the Heritage Foundation, a group the first Trump administration was largely in line with, would shutter CFPB, break up HUD and raise FHA premiums.

Here's how the former regulator thinks Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could exit conservatorship and where he sees the residential market headed this year and next.

The verdict ends a decade-long lawsuit over the Federal Housing Finance Agency's amendment to a stock repurchase agreement in 2012.

Two housing-policy experts whose previous recommendations have been closely followed by the Biden administration are defending the Federal Home Loan Banks, raising the stakes in a debate over whether a major overhaul is needed.

Led by Rep. French Hill, the group of conservative lawmakers said the agency must do more to ensure appropriate transparency regarding any new products or activities that the enterprises undertake.

The White House's firing of Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria sparked immediate speculation about who will run the agency and help chart the future of the two mortgage giants. Potential nominees include ex-Obama administration officials, congressional staffers and members of the Biden transition team.

Consumer advocates and mortgage industry officials are urging Sandra Thompson, the new acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to undo many policies that her predecessor, Mark Calabria, put in place over the past year.

The Community Home Lenders Association has called for suspension of federal limits on the loan volumes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase from individual lenders. The demand came on the same day that the Biden administration fired FHFA Director Mark Calabria and started the process of nominating his successor.

Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, the Banking Committee's top Republican, is talking up the prospects of a bipartisan deal to overhaul Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But Democratic leaders sound less motivated to change the status quo for the government-sponsored enterprises.

The agency that supervises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has pushed for revising an agreement with the Treasury Department allowing the mortgage giants to retain their profits. A deal could be out of reach once Joe Biden takes office.

The proposal builds on guidance the agency gave to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earlier this year.

Many have assumed the high court would rule that presidents can fire the Federal Housing Finance Agency director at will. But during oral arguments in a case challenging the agency’s structure, some justices suggested they could stop short of such a decision.

Adolfo Marzol came to the agency after a stint at HUD and a 30-year career in the mortgage industry. He will depart on Dec. 18.

Fannie hasn't completed any credit risk transfers to private investors since the second quarter. Some experts worry the decision — likely spurred by the company’s concerns about a recent capital regulation — could put the mortgage giant on unsteady footing.