Bill Pulte, Trump’s choice to run the FHFA, is a scion of a homebuilding industry giant, but his background is mostly in private equity and philanthropy.
The Trump administration will likely take starkly different positions on housing and the mortgage market compared with the Biden administration. Expect changes at the GSEs, while a reduction to FHA mortgage insurance premiums looks unlikely.
It’s not every day that an expanded-credit specialist branches out into conventional funding. But that’s what A&D Mortgage is doing via its acquisition of Flagstar’s TPO unit.
Depository institutions posted nice gains in MSR values in the fourth quarter, thanks to rising interest rates. But higher rates come at a cost in the form of lower originations.
Republicans, who have long opposed the bi-merge credit scoring model, now control Congress. That, combined with Trump’s “regulatory freeze,” could spell the end of this part of credit report reform.
WaFd Bank is ending its mortgage origination activity; TD Bank is considering selling jumbo mortgages; some banks are still increasing their mortgage business; President Trump issues order on housing, freezes regulatory efforts.
Following a strong jobs report, many economists now expect the Fed to keep rates unchanged. Also, concerns about policies from the Trump administration are helping to drive up the 10-year Treasury rate.
The creation of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund could grease the skids for an end to the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
News Tailored to Your Needs
Get Focused Coverage
Inside Mortgage Finance's newsletters break the mortgage market down so you get the news and data you need most, whether it's total industry coverage or just the news related to securitization, regulation, profits or other specific topics.