Politics and policy

Fannie, Freddie’s stress test losses ease from 2024

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac look like they would hold up better in a severe downturn today than their collective stress tests indicated in 2024. The tests modeled how they’d fare after absorbing losses like a total $36.1 billion provision in net chargeoffs plus foreclosed property expenses. That shows the credit losses they’d be likely […]

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Russell Vought

OMB documents show CDFI Fund isn’t disbursing new funds

Al Drago/Bloomberg WASHINGTON — The Office of Management and Budget has apportioned a fraction of the money Congress allotted to the Community Development Financial Institution Fund, documents show.  OMB has allotted only $35 million under the Trump administration to the CDFI program, according to new apportionment documents. All of those funds have gone to cover

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FHFA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Consumer groups urge FHFA not to mix crypto with mortgages

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg Two consumer groups are urging Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William J. Pulte to abandon his directive that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac explore counting cryptocurrency holdings as reserves in single-family mortgage underwriting. In a letter sent Thursday, the Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer Law Center said the move, which

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Experts weigh Fannie-Freddie merger prospects

Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman is fueling more speculation about President Trump’s suggested Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac merger this fall, but experts debate the near-term benefits.  The Pershing Square Capital Management CEO linked the concept to President Trump’s Truth Social post depicting a public offering for a single entity, citing the potential for a government-sponsored enterprise

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Economists now leaning towards September Fed cut

While more economists surveyed in August by Wolters Kluwer expect the Federal Open Market Committee to cut short-term rates at its September meeting than the previous month, a significant share still thinks action won’t come until December or later. The percentage of the participants in the Blue Chip Economic Indicators panel believing the next Fed

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Trump names Heritage’s EJ Antoni to lead Bureau of Labor Statistics

President Donald Trump named EJ Antoni, chief economist of the conservative Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after firing the former head of the agency earlier this month. Trump appointed Antoni, who has been vocal about his concerns with BLS jobs data and revisions, in a Truth Social post Monday. The position

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Russell Vought

CFPB proposes a rule change to cut nonbank supervision

Al Drago/Bloomberg The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing reducing supervision of all but the largest nonbanks in four key markets: auto financing, consumer credit reporting, debt collection and international money transfers. The move aligns with the bureau’s new priorities of reducing regulations, slashing staff and cutting funding.  Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought on Friday

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President Trump envisions November launch for mortgage IPO

The oversight agency for two government-sponsored enterprises sent out an image from President Trump over the weekend depicting a public offering for some of their shares near term but experts question the timing. The illustration from President Trump’s Truth Social post, like some others he’s posted around his policy initiatives, is designed to depict an

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Why there’s renewed interest in financing factory-built homes

Freddie Mac has expanded its program for loans on real-property factory-built homes that have features in common with traditional houses like pitched roofs, attached garages and permanent foundations. The government-sponsored enterprise said it is now buying single-section CrossMod homes loans for the first time, making it possible for borrowers to get reduced rates for housing

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Fannie, Freddie $30 billion IPO being weighed for this year

The Trump administration is preparing to sell shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in an offering that could start as early as this year, according to a senior administration official.  The plan could value the government-controlled mortgage giants at some $500 billion or more and would involve selling between 5% and 15% of their

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