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Politics and policy

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac’s total portfolio at multiyear high

Politics and policy, Secondary markets /

Growth in mortgage-backed securities holdings pushed the government-sponsored enterprises’ combined retained portfolios up past a previous multiyear high in January, when President Trump directed them to expand MBS purchases. Processing Content Together, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s total loan and MBS holdings rose to $278.45 billion during January from $271.69 billion the previous month and […]

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Trump, NYC mayor talk $21B affordable housing plan

Affordable housing, Housing affordability, Industry News, New York, Politics and policy /

President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met at the White House Thursday to discuss a multibillion-dollar affordable housing plan. Processing Content Mamdani is seeking $21 billion in federal grants for a construction project at Sunnyside Yard, which would allow the city to build 12,000 new affordable homes, create 30,000 union jobs

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What’s it going to take to get banks back into mortgages?

Mortgages, Originations, Politics and policy, Regulation and compliance, Servicing /

Key Insight: Experts say even if regulators recalibrate capital standards, structural and competitive realities that did not exist before 2008 are the biggest drivers in their dwindling market share in mortgage origination and servicing. Nonbanks now dominate the sector, aided by leaner cost structures that are built for rate volatility — advantages that banks will

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Trump’s $200B MBS plan set off by GSE valuation gap: Pulte

Capital markets, Politics and policy, Secondary markets, The Great American Mortgage Corporation /

Mortgage-backed securities purchases became the current focus of near-term plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac due to lower-than-anticipated valuations for a planned stock offering, a housing official told Fox Business. Processing Content “Today some people say the businesses are worth up to $1 trillion. They’re worth $500 billion to $700 billion, we believe,” Federal

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Senate tees up housing bill, but what’s in it is unclear

Housing, Politics and policy, Regulation and compliance /

Key insight: The core of both the Senate and House versions of the legislation aim to increase the supply of housing, but a slew of bipartisan riders in the House version have been opposed by some Democrats in the upper chamber.  What’s at stake: The House version has a number of bank-favored riders, like brokered

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Exclusive: Lawmakers introduce bipartisan FHLB bond bill

FHLB, Housing, Politics and policy /

Key insight: A bill offered by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Todd Young, R-Ind., would allow Federal Home Loan bank members to set up tax-exempt bonds for community development projects, much the same way they already do for housing projects.  Expert quote: “For too long, communities across the country have had a hard time

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Mortgage rates dip under 6% for first time since ’22

Economy, MARKETING TO BORROWERS, Mortgage Rates, Originations, Politics and policy /

Mortgage rates for the 30-year fixed loan finally broke below the 6% mark this past week, Freddie Mac reported, as the spread with the 10-year Treasury got below 200 basis points. Processing Content However, the 15-year fixed rate mortgage rose by a relatively large 9 basis points from the week of Feb. 19. “For the

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Trump talks housing, affordability at State of the Union

Donald Trump, Housing, Politics, Politics and policy /

Key insight: President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass legislation restricting institutional investors purchasing single family homes, following up on his executive order that the legislature would need to codify.  What’s at stake: Banks generally favor rhetoric that promotes housing availability and funding, since it helps produce more mortgages, but the institutional investor rhetoric is

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FHFA sued to release fraud investigation records

FHFA, Fraud, Politics and policy /

Nonprofits and journalists are suing the Federal Housing Finance Agency to gain access to records on its fraud investigations and enforcement activity. Processing Content The agency is facing four Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, for allegedly ignoring public records requests. While the FHFA has moved to defend itself in those cases, it has also hinted

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Banks close 2025 with strong profits, higher lending

FDIC, Politics and policy, Regulation and compliance /

Processing Content Key insight: Banks made $295.6 billion in net income in 2025. Supporting data: Banks’ net interest margin hit 3.39%. Forward look: Shortly after the data window, which showed no bank failures in Q4 2025, a small Chicago bank failed in January.  Banks closed 2025 profitably, with higher rates of lending and stable credit

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