Fading hopes that mortgage rates will come down in the next 12 months are primary drag on Fannie Mae's Home Purchase Sentiment Index, but job and income concerns also up in March
In a pilot program announced last week, the Biden administration cleared the way for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to let some homeowners refinance mortgages without paying for title insurance
Fannie and Freddie's federal regulator wants lenders to synchronize adoption of bi-merge credit reporting with more inclusive FICO Score 10T and VantageScore 4.0 scoring models
With a combined net worth of $125B after earnings this week, the mortgage giants remain on a path that could lead to eventual release from government conservatorship if political winds shift
Lenders won't be required to use the more inclusive FICO Score 10T and VantageScore 4.0 scoring models before next year, but several are already using them to expand the pool of borrowers
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are offering a $2,500 credit this spring that borrowers can put toward their down payment, closing costs, escrow or mortgage insurance premiums
Consumer sentiment toward housing increased to the highest level in nearly 2 years in January, with a record number expecting mortgage rates to come down in the year ahead: Fannie Mae
Fannie Mae economists no longer expect a recession in 2024 and are considerably more optimistic that mortgage rates have additional room to come down below 6%
The good news for real estate pros is that closely watched forecasts agree home sales will bottom in Q4 2023, and mortgage rates are looking ready to come down significantly next year
Fannie Mae economist warns that, while mortgage rates have retreated, the primary drivers of housing pessimism are persistent affordability challenges and worries about household finances
Fannie Mae said that computer vision enabled them to identify appraisal defects much more efficiently than other processes, including many that were previously impossible to triage
Surge in Q3 home prices pushes mortgage giants' conforming loan limits in high-cost housing markets to $1,149,825 for single-unit properties, and up to $2,211,600 for 4-unit properties
Two closely watched forecasts agree that mortgage rates have probably peaked, but the MBA and Fannie Mae diverge sharply on how quickly they'll come down over the next 2 years
Monthly Fannie Mae survey shows homebuyer pessimism hitting a new high last month, but a broader index aimed at capturing overall housing market sentiment actually improved
Company puts heat on regulators to stick to 2025 timetable for requiring lenders working with Fannie and Freddie to use VantageScore 4.0; delays would impact 'creditworthy people of color'