Tag Archives: FHFA

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed A. 2861 into law last week, banning Wall Street Home Resale Fees, or private transfer fees. New Jersey becomes the 19th state to restrict the use of these fees. On the federal level, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has issued guidance that restricts Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from investing in mortgages with these fees. A bill currently being considered in the House would ban the fees across the country.

With property values still tumbling, it's no surprise that nearly a quarter of the nation's mortgage borrowers owe more than their home is worth. Industry studies support the consensus that the farther a borrower sinks into negative equity, the more likely they are to throw in the towel. The severity of this catch-22 is now top-of-mind for government officials. The administration is reportedly pressuring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make principal write-downs a key component of their foreclosure prevention efforts.

The sharp fall in residential property prices in the third quarter means that housing in the U.S. has become even more undervalued. Based on the latest readings of two closely watched industry gauges, the analysts at Capital Economics have concluded that house prices are now 14 to 17 percent undervalued relative to disposable income per capita. A 30-year high in housing affordability hasn't been enough to drive consumer demand, and the research firm says recovery appears to have stalled before it even really began.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have seen a steady falloff in the rate of loans 90 or more days overdue since early this year, but their latest figures show the rate continuing to head down for one, up for the other. Both GSEs have dialed up the pressure lately for big banks to buy back bad loans. But the lenders themselves are doing their own dialing up, only it's in the form of stronger resistance to repurchase requests. The two mortgage giants are planning to implement new lending guidelines and fee structures for riskier loans.

Home prices in the U.S. continued to fall in the third quarter, with declines in most parts of the country, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). FHFA's purchase-only house price index is calculated from mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It was 1.6 percent lower in the third quarter when compared to the second. Analysts warn that we may have entered a second downturn, although likely shorter and less severe than the one that brought the financial system to its knees.

President Obama said Friday that he intends to nominate North Carolina Banking Commissioner Joseph A. Smith, Jr. to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If confirmed by the Senate, Smith will replace Edward DeMarco, who has served as acting director of the agency since September 2009. The timing of Smith's appointment would put him at the center of the administration's efforts to reform the nation's housing finance system and decide the future of the GSEs.

Home loan production is expected to come in below $1 trillion for the 2011 calendar year, according to figures released this week by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). If the trade group's projections pan out, it will be the industry's lowest level of home lending volume in 14 years. MBA's economists say next year's drop will be driven by a decline in refinance originations as mortgage rates head higher, but the industry will see an increase in purchase originations.

Home prices across the country slipped in August, Standard & Poor's reported Tuesday. The agency's closely-watched gauge of residential property values recorded a 0.1 percent drop in the composite reading of 10 cities tracked, while the 20-city composite posted a 0.2 percent decline. Home prices decreased in 15 of the survey's 20 metropolitan statistical areas on a month-to-month basis. Only Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, New York, and Washington D.C. posted what S&P called ""marginal improvements.""

Taxpayers' bill for keeping the nation's two largest mortgage firms afloat could more than double between now and 2013, according to the companies' regulator. To date, Fannie and Freddie have drawn $148 billion from the Treasury since they were placed under government control in September 2008. The two GSEs' could need another $73 billion to $215 billion to maintain positive net worth over the next three years. In a worst-case scenario, the overall tab for keeping Fannie and Freddie in business will reach $363 billion.

Bank of America and Fidelity National Financial have come to an agreement regarding the foreclosure paperwork issues that have plagued several of the largest lenders in the past weeks. Fidelity will continue to provide title insurance for BofA's foreclosed properties and defend new homeowners in court if title issues arise. The bank has agreed to cover all court related costs and settlements resulting from lawsuits surrounding title issues. The news comes just as Bank of America has announced that it will resume foreclosures in 23 judicial states beginning October 25th.