Wed, Jun 7 2017, 9:59 AM
Summer is here, school is out for many, and it’s time for vacation, right? Here’s a little trivia for your co-workers. What is number of available vac...
Wed, May 31 2017, 9:13 AM
It has been interesting talking to residential lending folks around the nation about their mix of business and how it has changed - if at all. It turn...
Thu, May 25 2017, 11:09 AM
Rather than taking a step back this year, home sales now seem ready to best their 2016 numbers. Freddie Mac's economists admit that, up until this mon...
Fri, May 19 2017, 9:33 AM
For me this week included time in Salt Lake City, Columbus, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Raleigh. (The mood is good as individuals continue to share ...
Thu, May 18 2017, 9:57 AM
Imagine being able to keep the money you earn!? Per Mr. Mel Watt, Fannie & Freddie might have to keep their profits to avoid rescue . Mr. Watt, who ha...
Thu, May 11 2017, 2:48 PM
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt had three messages for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Thu...
Wed, May 10 2017, 9:35 AM
For appraisers, sometimes a simple 3 bedroom, 2 bath tract home can have complications that make things difficult. What about houses that actually "hi...
Thu, May 4 2017, 11:22 AM
May the 4th be with you! People wonder if anyone from Freddie Mac has ever actually visited Fannie’s location for an office visit. Yes! Here’s actual ...
Wed, Apr 26 2017, 5:15 PM
Last week, with considerable fanfare , the Mortgage Bankers Association released its plan for reforming the housing finance system, including a resolu...
Fri, Apr 21 2017, 9:28 AM
The origins of job interviews? Here you go . And speaking of employment, yesterday the commentary mentioned companies coming and going. Here in Florid...
Thu, Apr 6 2017, 9:36 AM
Want a good statistic to demonstrate how tight the housing market is? 57% of all realtors have been involved in a sale with at least 10 offers on a si...
Fri, Mar 31 2017, 11:39 AM
After gathering little attention for nearly a decade, the two GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are making news on several fronts. Two developments in ...
Fri, Mar 31 2017, 9:47 AM
Let’s end the week with a non-mortgage question, but one that you mathaletes will enjoy. What would happen if you were hit by a penny falling from a s...
Mon, Mar 27 2017, 11:06 AM
This week involves a fair amount of cross-country travel for me (California, Washington DC, Florida, and Utah), and as it turns out Wells Fargo is the...
Wed, Mar 22 2017, 5:36 PM
“Dance like no one is watching. E-mail like one day it may be read aloud in a deposition.” Here's some pithier legal news. The Department of Justice i...
Wed, Mar 8 2017, 9:19 AM
Yes, we change our clocks this weekend, losing an hour, although some states have escaped this ordeal by not using Daylight Savings Time. Different st...
Wed, Mar 1 2017, 9:37 AM
Freddie Mac's Insight forecast for February looks at reports that consumer price inflation is rising, and the ensuing debate over "whether or not we a...
Wed, Feb 22 2017, 1:37 PM
Are you lending in areas where LOs are receiving more calls from recruiters than they are from real estate agents? Let’s hope not. But here’s somethin...
Tue, Feb 21 2017, 2:02 PM
It can require as little as replacing doorknobs with levers or as complex as installing a walk-in shower, but Fannie Mae says very few existing homes ...
Wed, Feb 15 2017, 9:56 AM
“The flat earth society has members all around the globe.” Speaking of orbs, while global wealth totals $255 trillion , the median wealth of all 4.8 b...
Wed, Feb 1 2017, 10:38 AM
Freddie Mae's Outlook for January looks at the uncertainties facing the housing market heading into the second month of 2017. While acknowledging that...
Wed, Feb 1 2017, 10:28 AM
Calling it the final piece of unfinished business from the financial crisis, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has published a paper with its rec...
Wed, Jan 11 2017, 9:24 AM
While rumors swirl about the topic for the phone call with Stearns Lending’s correspondent-wide staff today (let’s hope its good news), Richard Cordra...
Wed, Dec 21 2016, 9:11 AM
Hey, don’t know what to get your favorite capital markets guy or gal this year for Christmas? Here's a memorable gift , with a one minute video. Altho...
Wed, Dec 14 2016, 9:45 AM
Under a final rule issued on Tuesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has set forth three underserved markets for activities the GSEs Fred...
Thu, Dec 8 2016, 12:32 PM
Freddie Mac just announced that it has implemented Release 1, utilizing the Common Securitization Platform (CSP) . The Release was launched on Novembe...
Wed, Nov 30 2016, 1:35 PM
Interest rates are, quite naturally, the focus of Freddie Mac's November Outlook. The company's Economic & Housing Research Group looked at the potent...
Tue, Nov 29 2016, 1:50 PM
Freddie Mac has certified six companies as meeting its requirements for creating, signing, and storing eNotes , i.e. electronic promissory notes. The ...
Thu, Nov 3 2016, 12:38 PM
The two government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) reported improved financial results in the third quarter of 2016. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both said...
Tue, Oct 25 2016, 9:57 AM
The annual mortgage conference is in full swing, and I am sure that reports of “ 10 vendors for every 1 residential lender ” are exaggerated. Well, ma...
Mon, Oct 24 2016, 2:46 PM
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each announced what appear to be essentially identical changes in their loan underwriting programs - Fannie calls its new o...
Fri, Oct 21 2016, 10:51 AM
Deja vu all over again? Freddie Mac says economic growth is recovering from a weak first half of the year, the labor market is holding steady and Fed ...
Wed, Oct 19 2016, 10:35 AM
The management teams at residential lenders across the nation have begun forecasting for 2017. Of course no one wants to tell their boss that they exp...
Tue, Oct 18 2016, 10:07 AM
Stephen Covey said, “The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." Catchy. Speaking of schedules, my cat Myr...
Wed, Oct 12 2016, 1:31 PM
Anyone who has been paying attention must know that the national homeownership rate, which has been dropping for over a decade , is now at a 50-year l...
Tue, Oct 11 2016, 9:49 AM
As they have following other natural disasters, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced that their "full menu of disaster relief policies" will...
Thu, Sep 29 2016, 9:54 AM
How is it that we only have two days left in September, and that it is National Coffee Day already? Maybe you’ll receive a free or discounted cup at K...
Mon, Sep 26 2016, 9:33 AM
Tonight we can all watch a big job interview on TV at 9PM ET. And whether it is money or other things, sometimes you if don’t ask for it, you won’t ge...
Mon, Sep 19 2016, 10:19 AM
You’ve made it to “Talk like a Pirate” day. Many lenders are saying, “Arrggghh” when it comes to appraisals. Mike Simmons with Axis AMC put some thing...
Thu, Aug 25 2016, 9:08 AM
How’d you like to work for a company that was in the press nearly every day – rarely in a good way? How’d you like to work for a company whose future ...
Wed, Aug 24 2016, 9:57 AM
While it won't be available for more than a year, the government sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have unveiled a new Uniform...
Mon, Aug 15 2016, 4:15 PM
Strong home sales, near-historic low interest rates, a burst of refinancing, and continued home price growth are moving Freddie Mac's economic team to...
Wed, Aug 10 2016, 3:15 PM
Instead of writing off citizens in their golden years - or in this case semi-golden - Dave Lowman suggests lenders view them as a business opportunity...
Tue, Aug 2 2016, 11:34 AM
Despite
speculation that it might require a Treasury draw after its first quarter
financial loss, Freddie Mac reported on Tuesday it had net incom...
Fri, Jul 29 2016, 10:28 AM
"Buy land - they're not
making any more of it." And the reverse is happening in Louisiana. Say what you
want about global warming, or inappropriate ...
Mon, Jul 25 2016, 9:47 AM
Every day we have news coming out of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Some of the news is attempts at changing the structure of the two – being under gover...
Tue, Jul 12 2016, 11:54 AM
Lou Holtz observed, "Never tell your problems to anyone....80% don't care and the other 20% are glad you have them." People who don’t understand econo...
Tue, Jul 12 2016, 1:10 PM
The Brexit decision continues to reverberate and Freddie Mac, in its current issue of Outlook sees it as both a plus and a minus for the U.S., and n...
Thu, Jul 7 2016, 4:35 PM
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has released an update on the progress made toward the Single Security that is expected to replace those cur...
Fri, Jul 1 2016, 11:24 AM
The Fourth of July is Monday...the date of the Declaration of Independence (quibble all you want about late signers); the next commentary will be Tues...
