Real estate investment trusts that specialize in the MBS market held $261.0 billion of mortgage securities in their portfolios at the end of March, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis. That was down 1.4 percent from the end of the fourth quarter. REITs have been de-leveraging and scaling back their MBS holdings since the third quarter of 2012, when the Federal Reserve began its massive spending spree in the agency MBS market. A few REITs began rebuilding...[Includes one data chart]

As safe as the qualified mortgage space might appear to be, there have been a number of challenges to address and overcome for smaller institutions originating QM loans intended for sale in the secondary market, according to a representative of one such lender at the American Bankers Association’s 2014 regulatory compliance conference in New Orleans this week. Bruce Schultz, senior vice president and head of secondary mortgage operations for SpiritBank, a family-owned community bank in Tulsa, OK, told attendees he’s heard from several industry peers who have expressed the view that the secondary market ‘would be a slam-dunk’ for his institution under the QM rule because “‘you’ve got automated underwriting.’” Maybe not...

American Capital Agency Corp., the second-largest REIT MBS investor, reported a sharp 14.6 percent drop in its holdings during the first quarter. But officials are upbeat about the future.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said the proposed cure would allow loans intended to be QMs to qualify as such regardless of an inadvertent excess in points and fees.

But why so long? ABA's Rod Alba continued: “Well, not all the rules are done yet."

“This appears to be very good news and is a credit to our collective work with the Coalition for Sensible Housing Policy,” the National Association of Realtors told its members.

The buyer originates mortgages in roughly six western states and is looking to expand into the East Coast to help fill its pipeline.

The amendment would prohibit the GSEs from channeling cash to the NHTF, which was established under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.

The mortgage industry has raised concerns about the HAWK initiative because it carries the specter of new fees.

“I’m tired of having the AMC acting as my pimp," said one appraiser. "The current situation is ruining the appraisal profession and turning appraisers into whores for the AMCs."