Here's a fact that most readers may not know: the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 grants the FHFA the authority to bring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship.

A federal judge in New York has cleared the way for investors to proceed with a $10 billion class-action suit against JPMorgan in relation to the 2007 sale of non-agency MBS. Judge Paul Oetken of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, however, limited the scope of the class-action suit to JPMorgan’s liability but did not certify as to damage. Explaining his decision to narrow the scope of the suit, Oetken said...

Supporters of using eminent domain to resolve underwater but performing non-agency mortgages succeeded in placing their proposal back on the front burner in California this week. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to convene in closed session later this month with the city attorney’s office for advice on “anticipated litigation relating to the potential negotiation or adoption of a joint powers agreement with the city of Richmond [CA] to establish a homeownership stabilization authority to assist homeowners with troubled mortgages.” The board opted...

Just when you thought the eminent domain story was dead, it's not.

MountainView is being careful not to have its maiden voyage in non-QM lending labeled as subprime.

Ocwen faces a dilemma. It has a gargantuan MSR portfolio but meager loan production. At some point, something has to give…

Some $3.05 billion in jumbo mortgage-backed securities were priced in the third quarter of 2014, nearly triple the volume seen in the previous quarter, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Issuance through three quarters is still below the level of jumbo MBS activity in 2013 but industry analysts suggest that the jumbo MBS market looks strong heading into the fourth quarter and beyond. Credit Suisse was the top issuer of jumbo MBS ... [Includes one data chart]

A shift from refinances to purchase mortgages has helped push combined loan-to-value ratios on jumbo mortgage-backed securities to the highest levels since the financial crisis. The higher LTV ratios are prompting an increase in credit enhancement requirements. JPMorgan Chase this week issued a $355.64 million jumbo MBS with an average combined LTV ratio of 74.0 percent. And WinWater Home Mortgage is preparing a $276.91 million jumbo MBS with an average combined LTV ratio of ...

To this point, most products offered outside of standards for qualified mortgages have targeted super-prime borrowers, often with jumbo loan balances. However, competition among lenders in that sector has been strong and there are plenty of borrowers with somewhat less than perfect credit looking for non-QMs, prompting some lenders to work on expanding their non-QM offerings. Brian Simon, COO of New Penn Financial, said the nonbank is launching a non-QM for borrowers who have ...

Only one nonbank claimed more than a 1.0 percent share of originations of non-agency jumbo mortgages in 2013, according to a new Inside Nonconforming Markets analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Quicken Loans, the 10th-ranked jumbo lender in 2013, accounted for 1.26 percent of jumbos originated during the year, even after growing its originations at more than double the industry average compared with 2012. Banks were the top nine jumbo lenders in 2013 ... [Includes one data chart]