GSEs

During her opening remarks before lawmakers Tuesday, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency reiterated that borrowers with strong credit profiles are not being penalized to benefit those with poorer scores.

Her statement calls out "a fundamental misunderstanding about the fees" following concerns expressed by two congressmen and others about their impacts.

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.

The group, led by Senate Banking Chairman Sen. Sherrod Brown, said nonperforming loans sold to single family housing rental businesses or private equity firms results in the displacement of homeowners.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency got an earful from housing experts at a listening session intended to aid a comprehensive review of the financing system.

The former head of the agency said a decision last year to suspend caps on investor loans has further induced demand in an already hot market. Other experts say a supply-demand imbalance is the true driving force.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Sandra L. Thompson told lawmakers on Wednesday that the agency would consider “foundational questions about mission, purpose, and organization” of the Home Loan Bank System.

Former Federal Reserve Gov. Daniel Tarullo and two Fed economists argue that the Federal Home Loan banks have expanded into activities that pose risks to financial stability.

Former FHFA director Mark Calabria said the mortgage market was a “ticking time bomb” on track for a 2008-like crisis. Other experts foresee a tamer end to the bull housing market.

Mark Calabria, who oversaw the two government giants under Trump and was fired by the Biden administration, said in a recent interview that the government-sponsored enterprises are once again at risk of insolvency.

In an open letter to Sandra L. Thompson, President Biden’s nominee for director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, two longtime advocates of the Federal Home Loan banks suggest a new path forward.

Chryssa Halley, who has been with the company since 2006, was named CFO and Jim Holmberg was named controller.

Demand for advances from the Home Loan banks has plummeted as the Federal Reserve has flooded the financial system with liquidity. But with a nudge from Congress, these government-sponsored enterprises could remain relevant by broadening their mission and opening membership to more lenders.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency in the Trump administration had been preoccupied with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s capital position. Acting Director Sandra Thompson has shifted the agency’s focus to affordable housing and fair lending.

This year's assessment for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is the first to take into account a January agreement between the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Treasury Department that allowed the companies to retain more earnings.

A hike in guarantee fees charged to lenders for the companies’ backing of loans was due to expire this year, but lawmakers now want to extend it to raise $21 billion for the bipartisan package.

The guarantor has for the first time proposed a risk-based capital requirement for companies not subject to other federal regulation. The industry says the plan, which would impose a heavy charge for servicing portfolios, could drive lenders away from government-backed programs.

The plan aims to cut monthly payments by roughly 25% for homeowners in government-backed mortgages who are negatively impacted by the pandemic.

The agency’s new chief said eliminating the “adverse market fee” — in place since December — will make it easier for families to refinance while mortgage rates are still low.

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.