The FHFA argues: "In contrast, other federal safety and soundness regulators have statutory authority to examine companies that provide services to depository institutions..."
The regulatory relief bill which last week became law makes changes to the CFPB’s ability-to-repay rule, and attorneys expect that more major changes will come from the bureau’s reassessment of the qualified-mortgage standards. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act will allow financial institutions with less than $10 billion in assets to offer mortgages that don’t meet all the requirements of the QM rule, such as ...
Freddie Mac posted a big increase in its single-family mortgage-backed securities activity in April, reclaiming some market share from Fannie Mae, according to a new Inside The GSEs analysis of MBS disclosure data. Freddie issued $26.08 billion of single-family securities last month, a hefty 22.9 percent jump from March. [Includes two data charts.]
A key Treasury Department official said regulatory reform could help rejuvenate the non-agency MBS market but offered little guidance on the future prospects for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt said one of the challenges of being in a decade-long conservatorship is the inability to make strategic decisions on everyday operations. And it doesn’t look like that problem will be solved anytime soon. During a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs hearing this week, he said the decision to relocate Fannie Mae’s headquarters is an example of trying to make decisions for the GSEs amid an uncertain future. “Without looking somewhat down the road, FHFA and the enterprises would both lose their momentum and jeopardize day-to-day success.