The data that mortgage lending institutions reported for 2008 under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975 (HMDA) reflect the ongoing difficulties in the housing and mortgage markets. This article presents a number of key findings from an initial review of the 2008 HMDA data. In particular, it...

Using a novel combination of mortgage datasets, we analyze the effects of two policy levers that influence the scope of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's (GSEs) involvement in the U.S. residential mortgage market. First, we find that small changes in mortgage guarantee fees charged by the GSEs were...