One of the biggest challenges facing today’s housing market isn’t necessarily home prices—it’s something many economists refer to as the mortgage lock-in effect. Millions of homeowners purchased or refinanced homes between 2020 and 2022 when mortgage interest rates were historically low. Many of those borrowers locked in rates between 2% and 4%. Fast forward to…
What Happens If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Go Private? The housing market as we know it is built on a critical but often overlooked foundation: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) have been in federal conservatorship since 2008, following the financial crisis, and they remain under the oversight of the…