Mortgage bankers originated $54 billion of jumbo loans in the first quarter, a slight decline from the prior period but the second best showing in two years.

The two biggest components of the residential mortgage market – conventional loans below the conforming loan limits and government-insured mortgages – saw measurable declines in new originations in early 2013, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking. The conventional-conforming market – nearly all of which is financed through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securitization – fell to an estimated $333.0 billion during the first quarter of 2013. That was down 5.4 percent from the fourth quarter of last year, but the sector still accounted for a hefty 66.6 percent of total originations during the period. The conventional-conforming market share hasn’t changed...[Includes two data charts]

FHA jumbo lenders produced an estimated $5.44 billion in loans over $417,000 during the first three months of the year.

Are Fannie Mae and Freddie mac sitting on huge untapped profits?

Wells Fargo and HSBC are stepping up sales of nonperforming mortgages, while keeping a lid on the details.

Will CitiMortgage be an even greater player in jumbo lending with its new CEO?

New York State may be among the worst in the nation when it comes to approving loan officer applications.

Ocwen had $155 billion of subprime servicing contracts at the end of the first quarter, more than double its next closest competitor.

Rating services are putting considerable energy into assessing the companies that are originating loans for the new breed of jumbo non-agency MBS, in addition to thorough due diligence reviews of the collateral itself, industry experts say. The rating services don’t even begin the rating process until the major loan originators in a transaction clear the “gating” process, said Kathryn Kelbaugh, a senior analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, during a panel session at last week’s secondary market conference sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association. “We want to know what originators are doing, have third-party reviews and look at reps and warranties. You have to pass those gates before we can do a rating.” Margaret Sweeney, a director at Fitch Ratings, said...

Shellpoint Acceptance Corp. hopes to come to market with its first non-agency MBS by summer, securitizing not only jumbo loans, but a host of mortgages that fall outside Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac underwriting guidelines for different reasons. According to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company has committed $2 billion in capital to its shelf registration, though its first deal will be smaller than that. Shellpoint refers...