Among other issues, the GAO found that for three of the servicers, their denial rates were significantly higher for Hispanics than for the comparison population of non-Hispanic whites.

Morgan Stanley notes: “The agreement in principle is subject to final approvals by the parties. In connection with the settlement, the company will record an addition to legal reserves of $150 million, which will have the impact of reducing income..."

Federal regulators have, for all intents and purposes, completed their work on the qualified residential mortgage standard. This means the final rule’s release could be imminent.

JPMorgan Chase is the dominant holder of non-agency MBS among depositories, accounting for almost 36 percent of the bank investment market.

The rating service singles out Ocwen Financial, Nationstar Mortgage, Walter Investment Management, Quicken Loans, Provident Funding and PennyMac Loan Services, all of which have significantly increased their MSR portfolios.

New Penn Financial accounted for almost 81 percent of mortgages included in the jumbo deal. In the past, the lender’s originations have been securitized by the affiliated Shellpoint Partners.

“It’s a utility bill refi,” said Kristian Hanelt, a senior vice president of renewable capital markets at Clean Power Finance, which provides financial services to the solar industry.

Only a handful of FIRREA cases were filed in the first 20 years after enactment of the statute. In the last two years, however, the government has aggressively used FIRREA to target financial institutions for activities related to the origination, rating, securitization and servicing of residential mortgages.

Wall Street generated $165.66 billion of new non-mortgage ABS during 2013, a sturdy 12.7 percent increase over the previous year and the best annual production volume since 2008, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside MBS & ABS. ABS issuance fell off in the fourth quarter of 2013, dropping 10.4 percent from the third quarter, as all the major asset classes saw slowing volume. The $37.82 billion of new ABS generated in the final three months of 2013 was slightly below the second quarter, but it was above the level set in the third and fourth quarters of 2012. Vehicle-finance ABS turned in...[Includes two data charts]

Investors in non-agency MBS continue to push for increased transparency on both vintage securities and new issuance. Issuers suggest that they want to provide additional information to investors but costs and regulatory issues have prevented adequate communication. A significant number of investors attending the ABS Vegas conference last week said bondholder communication on non-agency MBS is rarely adequate. The conference was sponsored by the Structured Finance Industry Group and Information Management Network. Bill Moliski, a managing director at SG Capital, an investment management firm, has...