Also, the agency servicing market has continued to become less top-heavy.

As one source close to the company noted: Redwood “just couldn’t make the math work” in that line of business.

The SEC said Ocwen improperly used MSR valuations performed by Home Loan Servicing Solutions, a related party to which it sold the MSRs.

Nonbank institutions continued to expand their footprint in agency mortgage servicing rights last year, thanks to both their growing share of new originations and a hefty dose of MSR transfers, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. At the end of 2015, some $5.931 trillion of home mortgages were connected to mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. That was up a modest 0.8 percent from the same period back in 2014 and included a small 0.3 percent increase from the third to the fourth quarter of last year. These figures are based on agency MBS disclosures that typically vary slightly from aggregate data released by the three agencies. Nonbanks accounted...[Includes two data tables]

The servicing auction market experienced a flurry of deals at yearend 2015, but investors for the most part have been more cautious about what they’re willing to pay for mortgage servicing rights, given some of the large markdowns that damaged second- and third-quarter earnings. “A lot of investors got hurt by buying during the first half of last year,” said one MSR investor who spoke under the condition his name not be used. “A few of them aren’t bidding anymore.” During the first half of 2015, MSR buyers were willing...

There’s mounting evidence that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s disclosure rule is having an impact on home sales and purchase mortgages, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. In December, closing times on mortgage-financed home purchases continued to stretch out and fewer sales closed on time. Tom Popik, research director of Campbell Surveys, said the CFPB’s Truth in Lending/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act disclosure rule appears to have caused slight increases in closing times and the share of missed closings for the second month in a row. “Closing time metrics are still showing...

Earnings season has begun, and among the biggest financial institutions and mortgage lenders that have reported thus far, there’s been little evidence of damage to the bottom line as a result of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s integrated disclosure rule known as TRID. At top-ranked Wells Fargo, total loan production for the fourth quarter was $47 billion, versus $55 billion in the third quarter, and $44 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, something Chairman and CEO John Stumpf attributed to seasonality as well as TRID. During an earnings-related conference call with investors last week, Stumpf was asked...

Part of the $5.1 billion settlement amount Goldman Sachs agreed to in principle with the federal government last week will be used to provide relief for homeowners who owe more than the current appraised value of their homes. The agreement would resolve an ongoing investigation by the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group of the U.S. Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which President Obama established in 2009 to pursue those who played a role in causing the financial crisis. The tentative agreement would resolve...

The number of foreclosed properties and length of time it takes to foreclose is trending downward, but average time to foreclose is taking nearly three years or more in some states. RealtyTrac recently released its 2015 foreclosure report and noted that it took more than 1,000 days to foreclose in six states in the fourth quarter, with New Jersey leading the way at 1,180 days. That number is...

The Mortgage Bankers Association and flood insurance providers expressed support for legislation that would ensure the continued availability of federal flood insurance and, at the same time, facilitate the development of a private market for flood insurance. Industry representatives called for appropriate and timely long-term reforms to improve the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides mandatory flood insurance through private “write-your-own” flood insurance providers. Having gone through several extensions by Congress, the NFIP is scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, 2017, hence the call for private capital to provide flood coverage outside the NFIP. Testifying on behalf of the MBA during a recent House Financial Services Committee hearing, Steven Bradshaw, executive vice president of Standard Mortgage, said...