Freddie Mac is creating a large MBS backed by reperforming mortgages. But don't look for the bond to be sold in the open market.

Mortgage bankers originated $54 billion of jumbo loans in the first quarter, a slight decline from the prior period but the second best showing in two years.

The two biggest components of the residential mortgage market – conventional loans below the conforming loan limits and government-insured mortgages – saw measurable declines in new originations in early 2013, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking. The conventional-conforming market – nearly all of which is financed through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securitization – fell to an estimated $333.0 billion during the first quarter of 2013. That was down 5.4 percent from the fourth quarter of last year, but the sector still accounted for a hefty 66.6 percent of total originations during the period. The conventional-conforming market share hasn’t changed...[Includes two data charts]

CashCall, one of the largest call center lenders in the U.S., is open for offers, Inside Mortgage Finance has learned.

Private capital could better find its way back into the mortgage market, with decreasing costs for taxpayers and borrowers, if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would offer risk-sharing options to lenders at the “point of sale,” according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The MBA first floated the concept several weeks ago at its secondary market conference in New York. In a white paper released this week, the group called on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to require the two government-sponsored enterprises to accept loans with deeper levels of credit enhancement in exchange for reductions in guaranty fees and other loan-level charges. “This new structure would bring...

Republicans and even some Democrats in the House are calling for significant changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s ability-to-repay rule, but legislative changes appear unlikely as Democrats oppose most of the GOP proposals. One bill that is furthest along the uncertain legislative process is HR 1077, the “Consumer Mortgage Choice Act,” which would exempt certain fees from the 3 percent cap on points and fees for qualified mortgages under the ATR rule. The bill has 34 co-sponsors, including nine Democrats. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-WV, and Mike Johanns, R-NE, introduced companion legislation in the Senate last week. The bills have...

Whichever way the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of presidential recess appointments, the decision would probably cause more uncertainty and turbulence in the industries the ruling will likely affect, according to legal and policy analysts. SCOTUS is considering a petition filed last month by the Obama administration and the National Labor Relations Board to review a controversial ruling by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals that calls into question the validity of President Obama’s appointment of three new members of the board in January. In Noel Canning v. NLRB, the plaintiff challenged...

The FHFA IG acknowledged the regulator's progress in stabilizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but said the agency “can do more to enhance its role as conservator and regulator.”

Mortgage lenders that specialize in refinance lending have made a killing the past few years, especially call center operations with state-of-the-art technology. But is now the time for these firms to take their chips off the table or ponder a merger with more traditional lenders that have ties to real estate brokers and homebuilders? Paul Reddam, founder and president of CashCall, a top 30 lender, told Inside Mortgage Finance that he would be open to selling the company. “We would entertain an offer at any time,” said Reddam, who first made a name for himself in mortgages with Ditech Lending early last decade. Reddam noted...

After increasing for three consecutive months, the first-time homebuyer share of home purchases declined in April, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. Industry analysts suggest that the decline of first-time buyers is due to an increase in pricing for FHA mortgages and other changes aimed at reducing the FHA’s market share and losses. First-time homebuyers accounted for 35.8 percent of home purchases in the April HousingPulse survey, based on the three-month moving average, down from a 36.1 percent share the previous month. At the beginning of April, the annual premium for all FHA forward mortgages with a downpayment of less than 5 percent increased by 10 basis points. The upfront mortgage insurance premium also increased 75 basis points to 1.75 percent. Thomas Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys, said...