PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust started issuing non-agency MBS in November as part of an effort to boost its investments in credit-sensitive assets. The REIT is now one of the most active players in the space.

There’s no consensus on how the Trump administration’s effort to end the conservatorship of the GSEs should address senior preferred shares in Fannie and Freddie.

Palisades Group issued a $112.1 million securitization on June 30 that included home equity investment assets from multiple companies, a first for the growing sector.

To this point, Freddie has issued multifamily risk-sharing transactions without ratings. The Morningstar DBRS rating could open these multifamily CRT deals to institutions that only invest in rated transactions.

Interest is growing within certain types of insurance ABS transactions.

Researchers tracked ratings and defaults on non-agency MBS between 2013 and 2022, finding that Morningstar’s ratings were more conservative than ratings from the big three firms. However, Morningstar’s ratings produced more “false alarms” about potential defaults than the big firms.

FHFA said lenders can now use VantageScore 4.0 when underwriting GSE loans. It’s not clear, though, if the mortgage industry is ready to take advantage of the opportunity.

Industry stakeholders raised concerns about the lack of staffing and training of employees at the VA’s mortgage program.

With Congress poised to limit trigger lead activity, lenders that rely on the leads will have to soon shift how they are conducting business.

The FHLBanks responded forcefully to complaints that they fail to live up to their affordable housing mission and that they are a threat to the financial system.