Nonbank Loan Sales to GSEs Skyrocket, and So Do Risks

American Banker
Thursday, July 17, 2014

Nonbank mortgage lenders pose a risk to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because of limited government oversight and weak finances according to a report by the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Office of Inspector General. Small lenders and nonbank mortgage firms often lack the systems or expertise to manage high volumes of mortgage sales, increasing the risk that the GSEs will suffer losses. In recent years, GSEs have purchased more loans from the nonbank lenders as large banks pull back from selling to Fannie and Freddie after getting clobbered with repurchase requests. Last year, 47% of Fannie's mortgage purchases came from nonbank mortgage companies, up from 33% in 2011.