Freddie Mac Mortgage Portfolio in March Rise
- By:
- MortgageLoan.com | April 28, 2008
Freddie Mac, the second largest funder of US home loans on Friday announced that its agreement to purchase mortgages rose to its highest level in March after its regulator eased capital constraints.
The Office of Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFEO) had reduced constraints for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as a way to provide stability to the worsening U.S. mortgage and housing markets by increasing the purchasing power of the two government sponsored enterprises by $200 billion.
In the month of March, Freddie Mac entered contracts to buy loans worth $43.5 billion, sharply up from $14.8 billion in February. As a result, the firm's portfolio increased to $712.5 billion in March from $709.5 billion in February. At an annualized rate, the total mortgage portfolio has increased 9.9% in March and 8.9% year-to-date.
Despite the positives, delinquencies on Freddie Mac backed loans continued to rise. The delinquency rate rose to 0.74 percent of the loans in February, the most since November 2004, from 0.43 percent a year earlier, the company said.
Bankruptcy Reform Back on the Table
- By:
- Bill Rice - MortgageLoan.com | November 21, 2008
One of the earliest ideas for helping homeowners facing mounting mortgage debt and potential foreclosure on their home was to reform bankruptcy laws. The concept is now officially back on the table, introduced into the Congressional lame-duck session by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL).
TARP is Closed for Relief Until Further Notice
- By:
- Bill Rice - MortgageLoan.com | November 20, 2008
Remember what a crisis the $700 billion mortgage market bailout was--the very existence of the American financial order hung in the balance.
Fixing the Housing Market, Lots of Ideas...Any Answers?
- By:
- Bill Rice - MortgageLoan.com | November 19, 2008
Almost a year into the dawning of the housing crisis (many chronologist are setting that around the January 2008 crumbling of Countrywide) ideas continue to flow, but few seem to be the answer. In fact, this seems to be the growing consensus--there is no silver bullet.
G-20 Lots of Motion, Will There Be Action?
- By:
- Bill Rice - MortgageLoan.com | November 18, 2008
The 20 most powerful industrial nations, and now the caretakers of an unprecedented global financial crisis, assembled in Washington DC over the weekend. Their mandate was broad and daunting--stabilize world markets.
FDIC Challenges Treasury with New Loan Modification Proposal
- By:
- Bill Rice - MortgageLoan.com | November 17, 2008
On the heels of the Treasury and Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) loan modification plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the FDIC releases their own proposal. In this unprecedented, unilateral, and aggressive move by a Federal agency the FDIC is essential fighting a very public political battle directly with the Treasury and the current Administration.
Mortgage Rates Drop for Second Straight Week
- By:
- Bill Rice - MortgageLoan.com | November 14, 2008
Another week of dismal economic data have again pushed down mortgage rates. Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.14 percent, down from 6.20 percent last week. This demonstrates a steep decline from 6.46 percent two weeks prior.
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