The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has sparked debate in the mortgage industry by directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to explore whether cryptocurrency assets should be considered in loan underwriting. The potential move signals a significant shift in how digital assets might be evaluated in determining mortgage eligibility.
Shares of Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), the company behind the widely used FICO credit score, fell sharply after a major shift in the credit scoring landscape. The drop came after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced they would begin accepting the competing VantageScore 4.0 credit model, ending FICO's long-standing exclusivity in government-backed mortgage underwriting.
Mortgage rates have edged higher for the third consecutive day, with the average top-tier 30-year fixed rate now at approximately 6.81%, up from 6.67% at the end of June. While this uptick marks a short-term reversal, rates remain lower than the peaks seen earlier in the summer.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have recently increased the amount of information they share about condominium developments—particularly those classified as ineligible for financing. While the move has been praised as a step in the right direction, many lenders say the enhancements still leave major gaps in transparency and usability.
Mortgage rates dipped to their lowest level since late April, driven by a rally in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and a softer-than-expected tone from the Federal Reserve. Bond markets responded positively to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s latest comments, which hinted at growing openness to rate cuts amid signs of labor market cooling.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has proposed a new mortgage product it hopes will give homeowners a way to tap into home equity without surrendering the low rates they locked in the last several years. The agency sent a notice of a proposed new product to the Federal Register, which would enable Freddie Mac to purchase single-family closed-end second mortgages.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
The transition from a three credit report requirement to two reports — known as bi-merge credit reporting — for single-family loans acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has faced its share of obstacles. Another potential roadblock to this change was introduced last week.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
In case you weren’t aware, 2024 is a presidential election year. That means the usual campaigning and debating is ramped up many times beyond the usual rhetoric of non-election years. Though not as prevalent as other political topics, the housing and mortgage industries are not immune from legislators and policymakers trying to score political points.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
President Joe Biden made housing and mortgages a key topic in his State of the Union speech last week, proposing a number of tax credits and proposals to help create more supply and improve affordability. While the President’s housing proposals received mostly positive feedback, one idea met with resistance.
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Mortgage and housing experts continue to raise their optimism about the industry in 2024. That includes Fannie Mae. The company’s Economic and Strategic Research Group said last week that existing home sales and single-family housing starts are expected to grow modestly in 2024 amid lower mortgage rates and strengthening homebuyer sentiment.
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Consumers surveyed by Fannie Mae are increasingly optimistic about mortgage rates and their job stability, but not yet enough to want to buy a home in large numbers. The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) increased 3.5 points in January to 70.7, its highest level since March 2022.
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Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have updated their two-year-old Single-Family Social Index and given it a new identity: The Mission Index. The Social Index was launched in 2022 as a way to help socially conscious investors who wanted to support affordable housing and credit access to underserved individuals.
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A larger share of consumer expect mortgage rates to fall in 2024, which for now provides some hope that improved affordability will prompt buyers to enter the market. The first Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) increased 2.9 points in December to 67.2, due primarily to a significant jump in the share of consumers expecting mortgage rates to go down over the next 12 months. The index is up more than 6 points from this time last year.
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In another move that demonstrates the current administration’s priority to help make housing more affordable, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has increased the investment cap in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) market for 2024. This year, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will each be allowed to invest up to $1 billion annually in this market, up from a previous cap of $850 million.
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The latest effort to eliminate mortgage trigger leads was introduced by a pair of U.S. senators last week. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced the Homebuyers' Privacy Protection Act (S.3502) in the U.S. Senate.
Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) Disclaimer For NAMU® Library Articles: The views and opinions expressed in the NAMU® Library articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any official NAMU® policy or position. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world application as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of NAMU®. Nothing contained in this articles should be considered legal advice.
Written By: Stacey Sprain
As an FHA originator, processor or underwriter, it’s likely that in the ongoing foreclosure market you’ll run across a HUD REO loan at some point. The purpose of this multi-part article is to provide you with some useful information to help in your endeavors.