Among the top 20 lenders in the nation, PennyMac and Nationstar had the highest growth rates, according to new figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance.

Voting largely along party lines, the Republican-held Housing Financial Services Committee this week approved H.R. 2767, the Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act, by a 30-27 margin, advancing the measure to the House floor for consideration a mere two weeks after it was filed. The focal point of the committee’s debate was the conspicuous absence of a government mortgage guaranty to replace the backing provided for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities over the years. Democrats such as Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch painted the GOP measure as an “ideologically extreme and dangerous bill” that would destroy the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage if signed into law as is. The bill by Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-TX, would end conservatorship of the GSEs within five years and put them into receivership, eliminate their government charter and liquidate any remaining assets...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency considers community-based lenders a “critical” component for lawmakers to consider as they move to lay the foundation for a new housing finance system, an FHFA official said during a hearing this week of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment. “As we move to reform our nation’s housing system, it is important to ensure that community-based lenders are able to fully participate in the new system,” said Sandra Thompson, the FHFA’s deputy director for the Division of Housing Mission Goals. “There should not be a significant difference between how large and small lenders are treated when securitizing residential mortgage loans.” Thompson said...

During the debate, Committee chairman Jeb Hensarling accused Democrats of protecting the status quo by defending the current Fannie and Freddie dominated regime.

Amherst Securities said the risk-share deal was structured in a way that it will likely never take a loss.

Not only have Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac staged a comeback, but so has MGIC. The MI giant finally turned a profit and sees better days ahead.

NAR's oposition falls primarily in two areas: The PATH Act does not include an explicit federal guaranty and the bill dramatically restructures the FHA.

The hiring news isn't all bad in mortgage banking: Skyline Home Loans is looking for loan officers and Highlands recently hired some top executives.

FHFA sued UBS in 2011 over $4.5 billion in RMBS securities that the bank sponsored and $1.8 billion in third party RMBS sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Purchase money lending will increase in 2014 but overall originations could swoon, according to a revised forecast from Fannie Mae.