On March 30, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge announced plans to not cut Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage premiums. Many mortgage industry experts and investors had anticipated an FHA premium reduction under the Biden Administration.

Recent data from S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Indices and the Federal Housing Finance Agency's (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI) show that U.S home prices soared in January.

The Wall Street Journal reports a recent housing boom during the pandemic as more Americans are working from home, noting the differences from the home price appreciation that preceded the 2008 financial crisis.

On Monday, March 15, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee (SBC), released his guiding principles for housing finance reform. Taken together, they establish a legislative framework that would "end the government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) duopoly and foster a liquid secondary mortgage market while protecting taxpayers and promoting equitable access for all lenders."

On March 1, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) authorized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to double their funding to two trust funds that support affordable housing. In all, the two GSEs will allocate over $1 billion, twice the amount from the previous year, and the highest contribution to date.

The commercial real estate industry has faced significant economic drawbacks during the pandemic with a record number of Americans working from home, and a drop in shopping mall and hotel foot traffic.

On the most recent edition of SFA’s Bright Ideas podcast, SFA CEO Michael Bright sits down with Politico's Katy O’Donnell to discuss how COVID-19 has shined a light on the longstanding racial disparity in housing.

Payment relief for borrowers of federally-backed mortgages provided under the CARES Act was set to expire in March for over two million Americans. However, on February 16, the Biden administration announced an extension of the moratorium on foreclosures and the deadline to request mortgage forbearance through at least June.

On Tuesday, February 16, the Federal Housing Finance Agency released their annual Scorecard for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions. The Scorecard has been a tool to align the policies and priorities of the GSEs and CSS, particularly while the GSEs operate under FHFA conservatorship

Payment relief for borrowers of federally-backed mortgages provided under the CARES Act will expire soon. Under the law borrowers may request up to 12 months of forbearance, made up of two 180-day periods of relief, if they are experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic.