Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said they would impose a new fee to insulate themselves from losses on refinanced mortgages they guarantee, a sign of potential turbulence in the housing market and a move likely to generate pushback from lenders. The government-controlled companies, which back nearly half of the $11 trillion U.S. mortgage market, said late Wednesday that they would begin charging lenders the added fee next month. It will apply to most loans they buy that borrowers have refinanced to lock in a lower interest rate.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 13, 2020 01:32 UTC