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Mortgage Performance During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Since March, the United States experienced a surge in job losses that has created a concern about the ability of homeowners to pay their mortgages. One way of measuring homeowners’ ability to make their mortgage payments in the current environment is to calculate the incidence of past-due mortgages...
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Who Did the Increase in Conforming Loan Limits Cover in 2019?
Each calendar year, statute requires FHFA to adjust the conforming loan limits (CLLs) by formula to reflect the national rate of increase in home prices over the past year. More detail on that process can be found in our FAQs. The CLLs represent the upper limit on the size of mortgages eligible...
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Lowering the Language Barrier: Helping Borrowers with Limited English Proficiency amid Uncertain Times
Over the past decade in the United States, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino and Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) populations has increased to 18.5 and 6 percent, respectively. Hispanic/Latino and AAPI communities make up a majority of the estimated 26 million people in the country considered...
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Mortgage Translations Clearinghouse Adds Resources for Chinese American Homebuyers
Homeownership is part of the American Dream. To help make this dream a reality, lenders, real estate professionals, and housing counselors serve as trusted advisors to prospective homebuyers — providing education and guidance. But for millions of Americans with limited English proficiency (LEP) and...
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Counting Down to Launch of the UMBS
Implementation of the Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security (UMBS) is on track as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) finish preparations for the June 3 launch. This has been a multiyear strategic process, and FHFA, the Enterprises, and the broader industry continue to hit key milestones toward...
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FHFA Working Paper Unveils New Land Price Index
How much is the land under a house worth? For researchers, this simple question has been difficult to answer for one main reason: for a typical residential property, the land and the house are purchased at the same time, for a single price. A new FHFA working paper, authored by FHFA’s William Larson...
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A New Approach to Housing Goals
When we say “housing goals," most people familiar with housing policy think of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises). However, the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks) have housing goals too. FHFA recently issued a proposed rule updating the FHLBank affordable housing goals regulation with the...
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Moving Forward on UMBS Implementation
Building a new securitization infrastructure is a core goal of FHFA's 2014 Strategic Plan for the Conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and a key element of this goal is the Single Security Initiative. The aim of the Single Security Initiative is to improve the liquidity of Fannie Mae's...
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Mortgage Translations Clearinghouse Aims to Assist Homebuyers in their Language
Navigating the home-buying process can seem overwhelming for many borrowers, but it may seem particularly challenging for those who have the added challenge of not being a native English language speaker. Language barriers can further complicate an already complex and highly-detailed transaction...
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FHFA Invites Comments on Proposed Rule on Enterprise Capital Requirements by November 16
On July 17, 2018, FHFA published a proposed regulation on capital requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises). FHFA is seeking comments on all aspects of the proposed rule. The proposed rule would implement a new framework for risk-based capital requirements and a revised minimum...