Fannie, Freddie to drop LIBOR in favor of SOFR

Agency Rule-Making & Guidance FHFA Fannie Mae Freddie Mac LIBOR GSE Mortgages Mortgage Lenders Of Interest to Non-US Persons SOFR

On February 5, the FHFA announced updated LIBOR transition plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs) single-family and multi-family mortgage sellers and lenders, providing the next steps in the transition from LIBOR to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) for adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) instruments. The next steps include (i) a “[n]ew language require[ment] for single-family Uniform…ARM instruments closed on or after June 1, 2020”; (ii) a requirement that “[a]ll LIBOR-based single-family and multifamily ARMs…loan application dates [must be] on or before September 30, 2020 to be eligible for acquisition”; and (iii) that “[a]cquisitions of single-family and multifamily LIBOR ARMs will cease on or before December 31, 2020.” The announcement links to information directly from the two GSEs: Fannie Mae Multifamily Mortgage Business Lender Letter 20-02, and Fannie Mae Single-Family Sellers Lender Letter LL-2020-01; and Freddie Mac Selling Updates Bulletin 2020-1 and Freddie Mac Multifamily Update on LIBOR Transition. The FHFA LIBOR Transition page notes that the GSEs have already stopped buying ARMs based on LIBOR that mature after 2021 in preparation for the termination of the benchmark’s use.