The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced further changes to Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) single-family pricing framework by introducing redesigned and recalibrated upfront fee matrices for purchase, rate-term refinance, and cash-out refinance loans.
“These changes to upfront fees will strengthen the safety and soundness of the Enterprises by enhancing their ability to improve their capital position over time,” said Director Sandra L. Thompson. “By locking in the upfront fee eliminations announced last October, FHFA is taking another step to ensure that the Enterprises advance their mission of facilitating equitable and sustainable access to homeownership.”
The priorities outlined in the 2022 and 2023 Scorecards for the Enterprises include developing a pricing framework to maintain support for single-family purchase borrowers limited by wealth or income, while also ensuring a level playing field for large and small sellers, fostering capital accumulation, and achieving commercially viable returns on capital.
Today’s pricing changes broadly impact purchase and rate-term refinance loans and build on upfront fee changes announced by FHFA in January and October 2022, which have been integrated into the new grids. The new fee matrices consist of three base grids by loan purpose for purchase, rate-term refinance, and cash-out refinance loans—recalibrated to new credit score and loan-to-value ratio categories—along with associated loan attributes for each.
The updated fees will take effect for deliveries and acquisitions beginning May 1, 2023, to minimize the potential for market or pipeline disruption.