An economist finds that, when community banks gain access to FHLB advances, competition in local markets increases significantly, with mortgage rates in the market falling by an average of 8 bps.

In its S-1 filing, Quicken (not surprisingly) said it’s powerless to modify the rules that govern its relationship with the GSEs.

The nonbank accounted for 7.7% of originations in the first quarter of 2020.

Industry stakeholders believe this is a sign the GSEs are on track to undergo their long-expected public offerings.

Lawrence Parks, a former FHLB-SF executive, believes an FHLB plan to buy Freddie seems as plausible as other ideas that pass for GSE reform.

Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg’s plan to merge the GSEs actually got the other Democratic candidates to talk about MBS.

According to court filings, beginning in 2016, the FHLB-SF developed a proposal for the bank to purchase one of the GSEs. To assist in the process, the bank also engaged the services of McKinsey Consulting.

The slow-motion acquisition of mortgage insurance giant Genworth Financial by real estate and insurance conglomerate China Oceanwide got a significant nudge forward, when the Delaware insurance commissioner last month gave its final approval for the purchase.