Did CNBC's Jim Cramer do any research on the mortgage industry before he opened his mouth?

Among the top 15 servicers of subprime mortgages, only one grew its portfolio over the 12 months prior to the end of September, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The increase was posted by Citadel Servicing Corp., which is boosting its portfolio with originations of nonprime mortgages. Citadel handled a subprime portfolio with an unpaid principal balance of $1.80 billion as of September-end. The portfolio grew ... [Includes one data chart]

The strong demand for non-agency mortgage-backed securities this year looks to be tied to a number of factors, according to industry analysts. ICE Data Services, a firm that tracks non-agency MBS prices, noted that the sector has been helped by large settlements involving legacy non-agency MBS. And investors are more comfortable with the legal liability associated with non-qualified mortgages, prompting significant securitization of the loans. Issuers are also experimenting with ...

Federal regulators last week proposed a significant expansion in the number of non-agency mortgages that will not need a full appraisal. Currently, non-agency mortgages with loan balances of less than $250,000 don’t need an appraisal if originated by a bank. The regulators proposed increasing the threshold to $400,000. Mortgages below the appraisal threshold still require an evaluation, just not a full appraisal. Banking regulators said the proposal is an effort to reduce ...

An affiliate of American Mortgage Investment Partners Management plans to issue a non-agency mortgage-backed security with a high share of cash-out refinances on investment properties. Some 70.2 percent of the mortgages in the $199.5 million RCO 2018-VFS1 Trust are cash-out refis while 16.0 percent were to purchase an investment property. All of the loans were originated by Visio Financial Services, a lender that started producing mortgages in September 2015 ...

Two mortgage-backed securities with non-qualified mortgages originated by Impac Mortgage Holdings are in the works, according to presale reports released last week. An affiliate of Starwood Capital Group plans to issue a $280.0 million MBS with loans solely originated by Impac, while Deephaven Mortgage plans to issue a $374.3 million deal with production from 77 lenders, led by Impac with a 14.7 percent share. Among nine mortgage-backed securities ... [Includes two briefs]

FHA forward mortgage production plunged in the third quarter, precipitated by a substantial drop in purchase activity. [Includes two data charts.]

The Department of Veterans Affairs this week laid the groundwork for changes to its current rules on VA-guaranteed cash-out refinance loans.

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage originations saw a modest 4.7 percent sequential fall in the third quarter as the downward volume trend for reverse mortgages continued. [Includes one data chart.]

In an analysis of FHA’s fiscal 2018 audit of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, analysts believe the Department of Housing and Urban Development may be inclined to shrink FHA’s footprint modestly given the risk profile of its new business.