Rather than encouraging lending in flood-prone areas, mandatory flood insurance requirements limit mortgage originations for borrowers with low income or low credit scores, researchers at the NY Fed found.

Some $920.73 billion of mortgages originated during 2021 were sold to unaffiliated non-agency buyers during the year, a 19.6% increase compared with 2020. Guaranteed Rate was the top correspondent seller. (Includes data chart.)

Purchase-mortgage lending expected to increase; tips on remaining profitable amid rising interest rates; Texas Capital Bank slashes projections for warehouse lending; mixed trends for closing costs; Optimal Blue offers benchmark pricing tool for third-party originations; Comcast venture group invests in Neat Capital; MISMO’s e-Eligibility Exchange.

Receiving borrower tax transcripts from the IRS, which usually takes 48 hours, is stretching on for weeks since the start of the tax filing season, according to lenders.

Originations of jumbo mortgages increased at First Republic Bank despite rising interest rates. Officials at the bank said a number of factors led to the nearly 20% increase in originations during the January-March cycle.

Rising interest rates are leading to diminished demand for non-QM whole loans saddled with lower rates. Longer term, industry participants remain optimistic.

Correspondent sales of jumbo mortgages to unaffiliated buyers more than doubled in 2021, with Guaranteed Rate leading the pack. (Includes two data charts.)

Originations of adjustable-rate mortgages declined by 4.8% from the third to the fourth quarter and by 13.7% for the full year 2021. Bank of America was the top ARM producer. The loans largely remain in portfolio. (Includes data chart.)

Correspondents and brokers took back some market share in 2021 that had been lost to the retail channel in 2020. In the conventional-conforming market, retail share held steady, while some volume shifted from correspondents to brokers. (Includes two data charts.)

With interest rates starting to rise, production income took a hit in the fourth quarter of 2021. While servicing income increased, the mortgage business was less profitable. (Includes data chart.)