Back in July 2017, Fannie revised its automated underwriting system to accept loans with DTI ratios over 45 percent without lenders having to show other compensating factors…
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cleared another hurdle in their efforts to expand the investor base for their mainstay credit-risk transfer programs when a leading Wall Street group said it saw no problems with a plan to structure future CRT issues as real estate mortgage investment conduits.
The inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency voiced concerns about the agency’s supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while lawmakers questioned why new products like the Integrated Mortgage Insurance (IMAGIN) credit risk-transfer program were implemented without going through the proper channels.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had wildly different experiences in the first quarter of 2018, a period when both firms saw declining single-family business volume. But Freddie’s production of single-family mortgage-backed securities plummeted 29.2 percent from the fourth quarter of 2017, while Fannie’s 5.7 percent decline was roughly one fifth as severe. Those cross-currents upended the playing field, giving Fannie a hefty ... [Includes two data charts.]