The decline in high-cost conforming loan limits set to occur later this year will affect a small fraction of the more than 300,000 counties in the U.S., according to an analysis released last week by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. However, concerns remain that the non-agency sector will not adequately serve...

A number of firms are actively testing their jumbo securitization operations, according to Clayton Holdings. Notably, jumbo conduits are anticipating new mortgage-backed security issuance. “We have recently participated in several meetings centered around newly-developed jumbo conduit platforms and have performed...

Non-agency mortgage-backed securities investors do not have enough confidence to allow for accelerated reform of the government-sponsored enterprises, according to Michael Berman, chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association. “The key is the private markets have spoken that they don’t have confidence,” Berman said last week in...

Hoping to capitalize on the growing market for special servicing, Walter Investment Management announced last week that it plans to acquire Green Tree Credit Solutions. Walter said it will purchase the special servicer for $1.065 billion and Walter will have to drop its status as a real-estate investment trust. Green Tree currently services...

The slow charge-off of home-equity mortgages outstanding, a concentration among the top four banks, and the strong performance of the mortgages have combined to hinder loss mitigation activities. At the end of 2010, $1.30 trillion in home-equity lines of credit, closed-end second liens and unused HELOC commitments were... [Includes one data chart]

The Home Affordable Modification Program continues to be criticized for the pace of activity, but one segment of the market has embraced HAMP: servicers with loans in portfolio. While HAMP accounted for 27.0 percent of all mods completed by major banks and thrifts in the fourth quarter of 2010, HAMP accounted for 50.2 percent of...

Fitch Ratings’ proposed major revision of the ratings process for jumbo mortgage-backed securities “could pose obstacles” to the resumption of non-agency MBS issuance, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Under Fitch’s proposal, jumbo MBS ratings would be tied to home prices and potentially require...

Citing improved conditions for legacy non-agency mortgage-backed securities, the Federal Reserve this week auctioned off $1.33 billion in non-agency MBS acquired from American International Group. Information on the winning bids will be made public in three months but analysts suggest that...

American consumers have their own plan for winding down the government-sponsored enterprises: they’re refinancing less and showing little interest in borrowing to buy a new home. New business volume at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plummeted by 21.3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2010 to... [Includes three data charts]

In what may be an omen of a deeper slide of volume in the months to come, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac saw their issuance of new mortgage-backed securities drop 21.4 percent in the first quarter of the year from the prior period, the latest data from the Inside Mortgage Finance GSE MarketScope show...[includes one full-page chart]