Citigroup, a top-30 player in mortgages, has become the first megabank to impose a strict Covid-19 vaccine mandate: Get a shot or you're fired.

Non-agency MBS issuers are off to a fast start this year, with four deals marketing this week. The MBS are backed by non-agency jumbos and GSE-eligible mortgages for investment properties.

Officials at Velocity said the acquisition of an FHA multifamily lender will help to expand the company’s product offerings and serve as a hedge for its traditional focus on business-purpose lending.

New Residential set to issue single-family rental securitization; DBRS accepts Phoenix Collateral Advisors as due-diligence provider.

Driven by demand for EBOs and non-agency products, trading desks were quite active in 2021. The new year is shaping up to be a bright one as well.

Addison, TX-based Mid America Mortgage will fund its downpayment assistance program for low- and moderate-income borrowers through a gestation repo line secured from JVB Financial Group.

It should be a busy year for non-QM securitization. Angel Oak plans to be in the market almost monthly while Acra is working on its first “big” deal.

Freddie Mac, in particular, expects to issue a record volume of $25 billion in single-family risk-sharing transactions this year.

A Florida-based investor is touting the profits available from commercial MBS with distressed malls. The trade runs counter to the “mall shorts” that helped generate massive returns for some investors last year.

Moody’s Investors Service estimates more than $22 billion of utility cost recovery charge securitizations will be issued in 2022 and 2023.