Mobile technology may seem to be all the rage, with many lenders tapping vendors to help borrowers to shop for rates, mortgages and lenders from the palms of their hands. But a new Fannie Mae survey suggests that borrowers prefer to go “old school” and use their personal computers to find the best mortgage. The use of technology in mortgage shopping is likely to continue – especially among younger borrowers with higher income and educational levels. “Consumers say they use traditional ...

Has The Mortgage Deconstruction Trend Run Its Course? The trend of deconsolidation among residential originators is likely to reverse due to the advantages of large lenders, according to projections from Fannie Mae. “The recent decline in large-lender share of the primary market is temporary, and principally a result of cyclical factors that caused larger lenders to pull back from the market,” said Gerry Flood, director of strategic planning in Fannie’s economic and strategic research division.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said it recovered $7.88 billion in civil settlements in 2013 from less than half of the 18 defendants it is suing over billions of dollars in losses from toxic non-agency mortgage-backed securities sold to the GSEs before the housing crisis. Seven of the big banks made deals with Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s conservator to get out from under the massive MBS litigation effort launched by the FHFA in 2011.

Analysts are predicting a slowdown in the housing market in 2014 with mortgage interest rates trending higher, putting a damper on new applications, and regulatory and political changes pushing down on economic recovery. Noting the strong 12 percent rise in home prices in 2013, analysts at Standard & Poor’s are expecting a 6 percent increase in the S&P Case-Schiller 20-City Home Price Index in 2014. A housing market analysis by Capital Economics, a macroeconomic research firm, says the rapid rise of ...

Over the past year, home values – including distressed sales – have risen by almost 12 percent, which can only mean good things for sellers of nonperforming mortgages. Investors and auction companies that play in the non-performing loan space are expecting a banner year for sales, but also are quick to caution that every real estate (and loan) market is different. “We auctioned off roughly $11 billion in NPLs in 2013,” said J. Kingsley Greenland, president and CEO of The Debt Exchange, which operates ...

Expect the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Office of Inspector General and its investigators to continue to seek out an “increasingly active role” alongside federal and state prosecutors in the pursuit of financial fraud cases – whether or not there is a GSE connection, according to an industry attorney. Industry lawyer and one-time federal prosecutor Andrew Schilling of BuckleySandler noted in a recent opinion piece what the FHFA’s official watchdog itself recently boasted – that the OIG seeks to expand its investigative presence in 2014.

New business activity at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2014, but the top tier of mortgage sellers took more than their share of the decline, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of mortgage-backed securities data. Total single-family MBS production by the two government-sponsored enterprises declined by 36.1 percent from the third quarter to the fourth quarter of 2013. But the top five GSE sellers posted a combined 45.9 percent ... [Includes two data charts]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rushed to wrap up their legacy loan issues as 2013 wound to a close with multiple announcements of buyback settlements tied to loans originated prior to 2009. On Dec. 30, Fannie announced a $591 million agreement with Wells Fargo to resolve repurchase requests on certain loans originated prior to 2009.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt ended his first week on his new job by announcing four special advisors “to provide counsel on policy and strategic decisions” at the FHFA. Megan Moore will join the Finance Agency as Special Advisor – Intergovernmental.

In what has become a familiar ritual, a coalition of nine industry groups dispatched a letter Wednesday to congressional leaders reiterating their opposition to the use of GSE guaranty fees to offset other budget provisions. This time, Congress is considering tapping GSE g-fees as lawmakers look toward an extension of unemployment benefits, which expired on Dec. 31.