The jumbo sector bucked trends in the broader mortgage market, with a 3.1% increase in origination volume in the second quarter. A handful of banks sharply increased their jumbo lending during that period. (Includes data chart.)

Among the top 30 jumbo servicers, portfolios increased during the second quarter. Servicing declined at top-ranked Wells and increased at nearly all others in the top 10. (Includes data chart.)

For the first time since May, a non-agency MBS with GSE-eligible mortgages for investment properties hit the market. And Change Lending switched products with its latest offering, focusing on mortgages with income verification. Overall, issuance remains slow.

Redwood’s jumbo acquisition volume declined by more than 40% in the second quarter and the REIT took a loss on its residential activities. Officials at Redwood said the company is well-positioned moving forward.

Annaly is seeing strong returns from its aggregation and sales of non-agency mortgages even with weak demand in the secondary market. The REIT boosted its non-agency MBS issuance with plans for further growth.

After a nearly 30-day lull, MBS with prime jumbos hit the market. An offering from Chase was significantly smaller than the issuance from the firm in the past. A number of expanded-credit MBS are also on offer.

Western Asset Management Company considering a sale of its non-agency REIT; Velocity offers another small-balance commercial MBS; PennyMac ramping up jumbo originations.

First Republic increased its originations for the second consecutive quarter thanks to a focus on jumbos. The bank puts an emphasis on customer service and benefits from having a portfolio to hold mortgages.

Since December, interest rates have increased on both non-agency jumbos and conventional-conforming mortgages. But rates have increased by a lower amount on jumbos thanks to demand for the loans at banks.

Western Alliance Bank sold first-loss exposure on a pool of mortgages with an unpaid principal balance of $3.88 billion. The mortgages were acquired from various correspondent sellers and include many non-agency jumbos.