Mortgage banking income appeared to benefit from both rising gains on sale and stronger net servicing income. The top three banks reported lower earnings from mortgage banking.
Bank investment in auto ABS surged 19% during the third quarter, including big gains at TD Bank and KeyBank. Fifth Third and Commerce Bank also reported strong growth in total ABS. (Includes two data charts.)
Wholesale-broker production was up in the third quarter largely because the biggest lender in the channel increased its funding volume. The retail channel saw a 5% drop. (Includes six data charts.)
For the first time since late 2019, purchase-mortgage endorsements exceeded new refinance loans in the FHA/VA market. And FHA narrowed the gap between the two programs. (Includes three data charts.)
Banks and thrifts increased their residential MBS holdings by $77 billion during the third quarter of 2021, continuing to favor Fannie/Freddie pass-through securities. (Includes two data charts.)
The conventional-conforming market, which is dominated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, accounted for 70.9% of first-lien originations through the first nine months of 2021.
There is still plenty of business to be done in the agency market, but jumbo and ECM lending were the sectors that saw growth from the second to the third quarter. (Includes two data charts.)