Rising interest rates and fickle demand in the secondary market made it difficult to originate non-QMs in 2022. The hope among industry participants is that volatility will recede.

Non-QM lenders and MBS issuers are making adjustments amid a volatile secondary market. Issues include timing for MBS issuance and competition for new production.

Among a group of 20 prominent nonprime servicers, portfolio balances increased by 0.3% during the fourth quarter of 2022. Prepayment rates on non-QMs are low and delinquencies are rising.

Impac’s CashCall unit will provide leads on non-QMs to mortgage brokers. The lender is also closing its third-party originations unit.

The REIT stopped acquiring non-QMs during the fourth quarter as interest rates fluctuated and demand in the secondary market waned.

MISMO is working to update data fields established by the American Securitization Forum in 2009 for use in the non-agency MBS market.

Non-agency MBS issuance update; PennyMac launches jumbo product; Fitch affirms A&D’s servicer rating, Redwood increases staff.

Jumbo servicing portfolios at many of the largest firms in the sector increased in both the fourth quarter and on an annual basis. Low prepayment rates helped to keep loans in portfolio. (Includes data chart.)

At the end of 2022, Redwood had more capital dedicated to its business-purpose lending efforts than to aggregation of jumbo mortgages. Officials at the REIT expect the business-purpose segment to flourish even if there’s a recession.

Rising interest rates prompted a loss of $231.6 million at MFA Financial in 2022. The losses slowed in the fourth quarter, at “only” $6.7 million, helped by business-purpose lending operations.