Cart

Inside Mortgage Trends

August 15, 2008

View Archived Issues

Covered Bonds Could Boost Liquidity Options, But Efficiency Is Unproven

The development of a covered bond market in the U.S. could give mortgage lenders a significant new liquidity option, but it may take a geological shift in government policy before this financing can really compete with agency securitization. The Bush administration has made a strong pitch for the industry to look for alternatives to mortgage securitization that now leans almost... Read More

Fannie, Freddie May Become More Demanding Partners for Lenders

The bittersweet relationship between lenders and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may sour a bit in coming months as the two government-sponsored enterprises try to dig their way out of heavy losses by tightening their underwriting and more aggressively pursuing buybacks and workouts. Together, the two GSEs lost a whopping $3.121 billion during the second quarter... [Includes one chart] Read More

Private Mortgage Insurers Take a Beating In 2Q08 as Loss Expenses Continue to Rise

The past year has been no picnic for mortgage banking profitability, but the private mortgage insurance industry is having an even tougher time. A new Inside Mortgage Profitability analysis shows that the seven private MIs posted a combined loss of $1.675 billion on their domestic mortgage insurance business during the second quarter. That was up... [Includes one chart and one graph] Read More

Mozart Program Could Help Lenders Cope With Increased Legal Liability

New technology may give lenders an important edge in preserving profitability as the mortgage industry faces an increasingly hostile compliance environment. One of the most challenging new legal standards emerging from the states – and perhaps Congress – is the requirement that lenders make sure a loan is “suitable” for the borrower. It’s a vague standard, but Overture Technologies says... Read More

U.S. Financial Reporting Begins to Shift From GAAP to International Standard

Europe’s quest for greater transparency and comparability of financial statements has led to a movement to adopt international standards for accounting and financial reporting in the U.S. Companies are beginning to assess whether they would be better off using the International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS, than GAAP. Almost 100 countries now either require or... Read More

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

An experienced team of mortgage professionals is getting a new lending operation underway and is starting off with a commitment to utilize modern automated loan processing programs. StoneWater... Intellidyn Corp. says it has a marketing tool that can help lenders find option ARM borrowers who could be refinance candidates. “This is a niche target group that will... Read More

Latest Imf News

More Imf News

Featured Data

More Featured Data

Featured Reports

More Latest Reports

Featured Poll

As homeowner equity continues to build, more and more lenders are launching home equity lending products. Are you thinking of joining this market?

View Results