Despite several high-profile retreats from the wholesale production channel in recent months, the mortgage industry was pressed to rely more on mortgage brokers and correspondents to meet the increased consumer demand for refinance loans during the third quarter. A new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking reveals that wholesale loan production increased by 27.7 percent from the second quarter, while the still-dominant retail channel posted a more modest 15.2 percent gain. Many companies have been paring back their retail capacity during 2011 as origination volumes fell sharply through...(Includes four data charts)

Top mortgage lenders continued to write big checks to settle repurchase claims during the third quarter, but they continued to face a huge inventory of unresolved cases, according to a new analysis of corporate earnings reports by Inside Mortgage Trends. As of the end of September, the top five lenders in the industry reported a combined $19.22 billion in outstanding repurchase demands, mortgage insurance denials and other disputes related to their representations and warranties. That was down slightly, by 0.2 percent, from the previous quarter. As a group, the lenders reported... (Includes one data chart)

The second round of mortgage banker earnings reports for the third quarter drained some of the positive results for the industry as two key players – Ally Financial and PHH Mortgage – posted significant losses. Ally – the fifth largest lender in the industry in 2011 originations – reported a $311 million net loss in continuing mortgage banking operations, following a string of positive results that ended with $47 million in net earnings in the second quarter. Company officials blamed the downturn on poor performance on its servicing asset valuations and hedges. The company reported a $471 million net loss on... (Includes one data chart)

Credit rating agencies appear to be more generous in rating structured finance products over other bond types because they tend to bring in more revenue, according to a recent study by academics. Researchers at Indiana University, American University and Rice University said that, contrary to assertions by the top credit rating agencies, asset classes are not equal when it comes to ratings. The study “Credit Ratings Across Asset Classes: A=A?” claims there is overwhelming evidence that structured products, such as MBS, receive significantly higher, more optimistic ratings than those assigned to bonds issued by...

Mortgage banking profits rebounded in the third quarter of 2011 as loan production levels began to climb, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Mortgage Trends. A representative sample of 15 major mortgage lenders revealed aggregate net income from mortgage banking activities rebounded back into positive territory after thudding to a whopping loss in the previous quarter. The group posted aggregate mortgage banking income of $4.72 billion in the third quarter, compared to a combined $11.40 billion loss in the previous three-month period. The group’s massive second-quarter loss was largely...(Includes one data chart)

Wells Fargo accounted for a whopping 26.1 percent of home mortgages originated during the third quarter, and when you throw in the production numbers for other kingpins in the industry it’s hard to see how small lenders survive. But beneath the gaudy market shares of the Wells Fargos and JPMorgan Chases of the world stand hundreds of small originators – mortgage brokers, community banks, credit unions and old-school independent mortgage bankers – that feed them a significant amount of business. The key to finding success under the shadow of the industry giants is developing a speciality, usually coupled with an obsession for...

After negotiating with a potential buyer, Bank of America gave up trying to sell its correspondent business and will simply shut the program down by the end of the year, leaving a huge potential hole in the market. The rumored bidder, NationStar Mortgage, reportedly wanted a higher price than BofA was willing to pay to take the correspondent unit off the bank’s hands. “After a comprehensive review of market opportunities, Bank of America will close its correspondent lending channel by the end of 2011, following an orderly transition with clients,” the company said in a written statement. BofA, which had already...

Servicers face increased costs to meet new loss mitigation requirements. However, servicers at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s annual conference this week in Chicago said they have accepted the costs as a trade-off for decreased liability. “We focus on profitability, but you still have to do quality,” said Kent Lemon, a senior vice president at Saxon Mortgage Services. He said the servicer constantly works on quality assurance. Saxon uses targeted performance monitoring of employees for the Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act, fair servicing standards and other loan modification guidelines. Lemon said the servicer also...

Closer scrutiny of portfolio loan quality and growing repurchase demands have pushed mortgage software providers MasterServ Financial and The Prieston Group to develop products to help lenders manage their portfolio risks and reduce buyback risks. MasterServ Financial, a technology solution provider to the mortgage banking industry, is expanding its portfolio monitoring product from distressed real estate loans and REO management to new portfolios of performing mortgage loans. With the shift in real estate values, a weak economy and high unemployment rate, it is very difficult to determine whether the loans in a lender’s portfolio today are...

More people than expected showed up at the Mortgage Bankers Association annual convention this week in Chicago – including intermittent Occupy protestors – given the hugely uncertain prospects facing the industry. MBA economists are predicting less than $1 trillion in new originations in 2012, which would be the lowest new production volume since 1997, and all three major components in the business – origination, servicing and secondary marketing – face huge structural challenges that so far are still just vaguely mapped out. Yet attendance was up about 18 percent from last year, and several observers noted that investors are...