Private mortgage insurers reported substantial declines in new insurance written during the first quarter of 2018, losing some market share to both the FHA and VA, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside Mortgage Finance. [Includes two data charts.]
Freddie Mac recently extended a line of credit to an unidentified nonbank seller/servicer, setting off a mini debate about charter creep – and why its regulator approved the initiative in the first place.
Neither PHH Corp. nor the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will ask the Supreme Court of the United States to review a lower court decision that overturned the agency’s controversial interpretation of anti-kickback provisions in the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.
The nation’s warehouse providers ended the first quarter with $63.0 billion of commitments on their books, a slight decline from yearend and a gain compared to March 2017, but the numbers mask some of the pain being felt in the sector. [Includes one data chart.]
Margins in the correspondent channel took a hit in the first quarter, according to officials at a number of large lenders. Some nonbanks with significant servicing portfolios are expecting profits to shift to the servicing segment as interest rates increase.
A top official at Arch Capital defended Freddie Mac’s new Integrated Mortgage Insurance (IMAGIN) credit-risk transfer program against charges that it creates an unlevel playing field.