In trading, Walter was down almost 5 percent on the day. The stock fell to just under $28. Its 52-week low is $24, its high $45.12.

One Stonegate Mortgage watcher we know called the company an “absolute no-brainer short,” noting that when the lender went public “it was overvalued."

Industry trade group officials and lobbyists anticipate that no meaningful progress will be made on housing and GSE reform legislation until 2017 after a new president and Congress are elected.

Under new management, the agency in charge of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is tacking their conservatorship in a different direction: focusing on preserving the two government-sponsored enterprises rather than driving them into shallow water. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt this week emphasized a focus on “the present” as he explained how he seeks to “reformulate” the agency’s past conservatorship goals to suit the housing finance market in the here and now. “I am...

The new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac policy on loan-seller representations and warranties will likely burn off some of the fog that’s made mortgage lenders skittish about the product they deliver to the two government-sponsored enterprises, but it won’t eliminate industry buyback concerns. The new policy tinkers at the edges of the buyback safe harbor for loans with acceptable payment history. Loans with two 30-day late payments in the first three years can get a buyback waiver if they are current at the 36-month mark; until now such loans would only get a waiver if they performed for five years. More significant is...

During the first quarter of 2014, private mortgage insurance companies may have seen a somewhat bigger decline in new business than their government competitors, but the industry recorded arare achievement in terms of profitability, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis. For the first time since early 2007, all four of the private MIs that survived the mortgage apocalypse reported a profitable quarter. Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp., Radian, United Guaranty and Genworth all finished in the black, with a combined $296 million in income on their domestic MI activities. Different combinations of these four had reported profitable quarters at various times, and the industry as a whole has been profitable since the second quarter of last year. Including Essent Guaranty and National MI, the industry earned...[Includes three data charts]

When the Federal Housing Finance Agency unveiled its long-awaited strategic plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this week, it provided scant guidance on pending eligibility standards for mortgage insurance firms that rely on the government-sponsored enterprises. But the good news for the MI sector is that there was a mention of the topic and a vague promise that eligibility standards – including capital-to-risk rules – will see the light of day this year. Although the agency did not offer a specific timetable, MI executives told Inside Mortgage Finance that they expect to see the standards early in the second half. “FHFA hasn’t dropped...

PHH Corp. is continuing talks with several potential buyers about its mortgage division but is revealing little information on when it might ultimately announce a deal. In a recent conference call with analysts, company President and CEO Glen Messina would only say that “we’ve been actively engaged in detailed discussions with several interested parties” regarding both PHH Mortgage and its fleet business. Messina would not provide any more color than that. As reported by Inside Mortgage Finance last month, possible buyers include...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development this week announced several measures to expand underserved borrowers’ access to credit and to protect the FHA insurance fund, including a new pilot that would qualify borrowers for reduced mortgage insurance premiums through counseling. In remarks to the National Association of Realtors’ Regulatory Forum, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan unveiled a new “Blueprint for Access,” which echoes plans outlined in the Obama administration’s 2015 budget proposal. Donovan said...

Real estate agents are more likely to recommend lenders that provide reliable preapprovals to potential homebuyers, according to a survey conducted by Campbell Surveys and sponsored by Inside Mortgage Finance. Positive interactions with real estate agents could help lenders boost business as the market has shifted toward purchase mortgages from refinances. “Real estate agents frequently recommend mortgage providers, and homebuyers frequently accept these recommendations,” said Tom Popik, research director of Campbell Surveys. The new survey of more than 2,000 real estate agents found...