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News Releases

Announcements, publications, and news releases covering regulatory changes, policy updates, reports, news, initiatives, and the performance of the Enterprises in the housing finance sector.

Date Range
  • News Release

    FHFA Announces First Winning Bidder in REO Pilot Initiative

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that Pacifica Companies, LLC has purchased 699 Fannie Mae properties in Florida as part of a real estate owned (REO) pilot initiative. FHFA will announce the winning investors for properties in other areas upon closing of...

  • News Release

    HARP Refinances Continue Strong Pace in July

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its July Refinance Report, which shows a key milestone was reached when more than 519,000 loans were refinanced through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) since the beginning of...

  • News Release

    FHFA Announces Increase in Guarantee Fees

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that it has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to raise guarantee fees (g-fees) on single-family mortgages by an average of 10 basis points. The changes to g-fee pricing represent a step toward encouraging greater...

  • News Release

    FHFA Reports Mortgage Interest Rates, July 2012

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) contracts, was 3.66 percent based on loans closed in...

  • News Release

    U.S. House Prices Rose 1.8 Percent From First Quarter to Second Quarter 2012

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. house prices rose 1.8 percent from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2012 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) seasonally adjusted purchase-only House Price Index (HPI). The HPI is calculated using home sales price information from Fannie Mae and...

  • News Release

    FHFA Announces New Standard Short Sale Guidelines for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are issuing new, clear guidelines to their mortgage servicers that will align and consolidate existing short sales programs into one standard short sale program. The streamlined program rules...

  • News Release

    Agencies Issue Proposed Rule on Appraisals for Higher-Risk Mortgages

    ​Joint Release​ Federal Housing Finance Agency ​​Department of Housing and Urban Development U.S. Department of the Treasury​​​ ​ ​Washington, D.C. – Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a proposed rule to establish new appraisal requirements for "higher-risk mortgage loans." The...

  • News Release

    FHFA Sends Notice to Federal Register on Use of Eminent Domain to Restructure Performing Loans

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has sent to the Federal Register a Notice indicating its concern with the proposed use of eminent domain to restructure performing home loans and inviting public input. As conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and regulator of 12...

  • News Release

    HARP Refinances Continue Surge in First Half of 2012

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its June Refinance Report, which shows that one of every three refinances through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were made through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), the highest number since the inception of the...

  • News Release

    FHFA Reports Mortgage Interest Rates, June 2012

    Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that the National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders, used as an index in some adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) contracts, was 3.67 percent based on loans closed in...