Access to advances from the Federal Home Loan Banks have helped Redwood Trust operate its jumbo conduit, including adding to portfolio capabilities, according to officials at the real estate investment trust. Like other REITs, Redwood gained access to FHLBank advances via a captive insurance subsidiary. RWT Financial was approved as a member of the FHLBank of Chicago in the second quarter of 2014. In July, the FHLBank advance financing capacity for Redwood’s subsidiary increased by $400 million to $1.4 billion. “We’ve been able to more efficiently finance