Ditech Financial, the nation’s 12th largest servicer of home mortgages, is officially on the auction block and it comes at a time when several nonbanks are heading for the exit ramp. Now, the big question: Can Ditech be sold in a stock transaction or will it be an asset sale?

The faster processing times by so-called fintech lenders don’t result in riskier loans than production from traditional originators, according to an analysis published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Seterus, a servicing vendor working for Fannie Mae, foreclosed on 2,762 homes in California during 2017, more than any other servicer – by far – according to a report issued by the California Department of Business Oversight. The year prior, Seterus, which is controlled by IBM, foreclosed on 4,265 units, the state found. The figures cover only firms that are California licensees. The runner-up in California foreclosures last year was Nationstar Mortgage with 1,410 actions, down 15.4 percent from 2016.

With loan production on a downward trajectory this year, rumors abound regarding industry layoffs, but at least one top-ranked lender is still actively hiring: United Wholesale Mortgage, Troy, MI.

A significant number of lenders report that they don’t have a comprehensive vendor management system in place, according to a survey by Vendorly, a firm that provides vendor-oversight services.

A spike in non-agency mortgage-backed security issuance has helped make 2018 the strongest year for securitizations in this niche market since the financial crisis, but the sector still has a long way to go, according to Grant Bailey, a top analyst at Fitch Ratings.

Industry experts continue to weigh in on the White House’s proposal to privatize the GSEs and introduce multiple guarantors, but don’t anticipate action anytime soon. Analysts with Keefe, Bruyette and Woods said the proposed changes are similar to the Corker-Warner and Johnson-Crapo reform bills previously introduced in the Senate.

Freddie Mac will now allow borrowers purchasing or refinancing a condominium to take advantage of its appraisal waiver. With condominium loans growing in popularity among first-time homebuyers, the GSEs are purchasing more of the product. As a result, Freddie announced last week it decided to expand the eligibility requirements. Fannie Mae has been offering its property inspection waiver to condominium borrowers since May.

Routine financial transactions involving mortgages could face extreme headwinds under a new consumer data privacy bill passed last week in California. So much so that it prompted the Federal Housing Finance Agency to urge state lawmakers to consider the implications of the legislation to the mortgage market. The controversial consumer data privacy bill passed on June 28. It would allow consumers to opt-out of any type of data collection and give consumers the right to have any personal information deleted.

Pershing Square Capital Management, the largest holder of GSE common stock, is telling its shareholders to be patient with its investment in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, despite the drubbing the shares have taken this year. As Inside The GSEs went to press late this week, Fannie common was trading for $1.41 a share compared to a 52-week high of $3.31 and a low of $1.21. Freddie common was selling for $1.60. Its high for the year is $3.24, its low $1.20.