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Inside Mortgage Finance

October 5, 2017

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Purchase-Mortgage Boom Pumps Up Fannie/Freddie Business in 3Q17, But Refi Market Also Expanded

The conventional secondary market caught up with the seasonal surge in home-buying activity during the third quarter, leading to a hefty 17.9 percent jump in the production of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities. The two government-sponsored enterprises issued $223.61 billion of single-family MBS during the recently completed third quarter, a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis reveals. Although that was the strongest ... [Includes three data charts] Read More

The Equifax Data Breach Affected 140 Million U.S. Consumers, Impact on Lenders May Be Ahead

Mortgage lenders haven’t yet experienced any operating headaches from the Equifax data breach this summer – but the ramifications might come slowly and not be immediately discernable. One nonbank CEO told Inside Mortgage Finance that he’s angry about the breach for two rea-sons: his personal information was stolen and it could cause business problems because warehouse banks, state licensing agencies, investors and housing authorities pull Equifax reports to check on him ... Read More

FHFA Director Watt Urges House to Take Action Fast on Housing Reform to Avoid a Treasury Draw

House lawmakers grilled Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt on everything from flood insurance to the qualified-mortgage rule and credit-risk transfers during a hearing this week, but his comments regarding the evaporating capital buffers at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac suggested that he’s fed up with the lack of action from Congress. Testifying before the House Financial Services Committee, Watt said it would be “especially irresponsible” for the two ... Read More

Nonbank Participants in the MSR Market Strive for Liquidity, Changes to Fannie’s Acknowledgement Agreement Likely

Nonbanks lack the deposit base banks have to support their investments in mortgage servicing rights, but nonbanks are seeing increased liquidity in terms of MSR financing. The government-sponsored enterprises and Ginnie Mae have also adjusted their acknowledgement agreements to make MSR financers more comfortable in the sector, with further changes likely. “In the nonbank mortgage sector, there is a big need for the financing of the MSR asset,” Vandy Fartaj, chief capital markets ... Read More

Price of Fannie/Freddie Common Up a Stunning 35 Percent Since Early Summer

Since early July, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have seen the share price of their common stock rise roughly 35 percent on the over-the-counter market, turning these two government wards into some of the best short-term investments among all equities. Then again, there appears to be no real reason for the run-up in trading price, though observers speculate that a Republican National Committee resolution issued earlier in the year regarding the two might have something to do with it ... Read More

Banks Largely Happy with Banking Regulators’ Plan to Reduce Capital Requirements for MSR

A proposal last week from federal regulators to reduce capital requirements on mortgage servicing rights for all but the largest banks was met with mostly praise from banks. “The proposal to review and refine capital rules for community banks is a step in the right direction that acknowledges what our members already know,” said Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association. “Some of the current capital requirements are keeping banks from fully serving their ... Read More

Some Minority Groups Gained Ground in 2016 Mortgage Market, But Still Face Credit Hurdles

Mortgage originations for black and Hispanic borrowers rose significantly faster in 2016 than among whites, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis of recently-released Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. The HMDA report reveals that a total of $1.956 trillion of home loans were originated last year, an 18.5 percent increase over the 2015 total. Most observers believe that HMDA undercounts total mortgage originations by about 5 percent ... [Includes one data chart] Read More

CBO Calculates FHA Subsidy, Risk Based on Fair-Value, Outlines Options for Shrinking Government Exposure

The Congressional Budget Office recently issued a white paper analyzing options to reduce taxpayer exposure to FHA risk while allowing the program to continue providing affordable credit to first-time homebuyers and low-income borrowers. Although FHA continues to write high-quality, newer books of business, the CBO sees more mortgage borrowers with good credit scores, large downpayments or low debt-to-income ratios shifting to the private mortgage market ... Read More

Ocwen Makes Peace With a Number of States And the SEC Over Mortgage-Related Disputes

Ocwen Financial has now buried the hatchet with a total of 15 states over alleged deficiencies in its compliance with laws and regulations relating to the company’s servicing and lending activities. Back in April, mortgage and banking regulators from 30 states and the District of Columbia and the state attorneys general of Florida and Massachusetts brought regulatory action against the nonbank servicer. This week, Ocwen settled with New Mexico, Virginia and West Virginia ... Read More

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