Serious delinquency rates on subprime mortgages improved in the first quarter of 2011 for a fifth consecutive quarter. However, analysts warn that the sector faces increased risks due to scrutiny from federal regulators and Congress. Meanwhile, subprime originations remain all but nonexistent, causing the amount of subprime mortgages outstanding to fall to an estimated $605.0 billion in the first quarter of 2011, according to Inside Nonconforming Markets. In 2005, an estimated $625.0 billion in subprime mortgages were originated, with another...[includes one data chart]

The non-agency sector could benefit from an increase in the government-sponsored enterprises’ guarantee fees long before GSE reform is completed. Industry observers suggest that implementation of GSE reform is years away, while an increase in g-fees is much more likely in the near-term. “We may still be waiting for comprehensive GSE legislation a decade from now,” said Steven Abrahams, an analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities. “But regulators in the meantime plan to reshape the GSEs by slowly pricing them out of the market.” The average total guarantee fee charged by...

The Treasury Department withheld payments to Home Affordable Modification servicers for the first time last week. The delay in incentive payments to three major servicers was due to poor handling of non-agency mortgages. Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase Bank and Wells Fargo Bank will not receive HAMP incentive payments until the Treasury determines that the servicers have made improvements. Ocwen Loan Servicing was also determined to be “in need of substantial improvement” but the servicer received a pass because of issues related to...[includes one data chart]

With fears that too few qualified residential mortgages will be originated to support a strong securitization market, the American Securitization Forum proposed that mortgage-backed securities should be allowed to include a blend of QRMs and non-QRMs. MBS issuers also called for loosened underwriting requirements for certain non-QRMs.The proposal was included in the ASF’s comment letter to federal regulators regarding proposed risk-retention rules. Comments were initially due last week but federal regulators recently extended...

Stated-income lending, once a staple of the non-agency market, has not disappeared completely. A few portfolio lenders currently offer the loans, largely to wealthy borrowers looking for jumbo mortgages.In 2006, 54.6 percent of mortgages in non-agency mortgage-backed securities were originated based on alternative, stated or no documentation, according to the Inside Mortgage Finance MBS Database. The mortgages generally performed extremely poorly as borrower income was often overstated. However, private wealth lenders – including California-based...

Two Harbors Investment plans to issue a $250.0 million jumbo non-agency mortgage-backed security this year, with gradual increases in issuance planned in the coming years, officials at the real estate investment trust said last week. William Roth, a co-chief investment officer at Two Harbors, said there is tremendous opportunity to profit from non-agency MBS issuance – not so much in 2011, but in 2012 through 2014. “Our ability to generate loans to our guidelines and create credit pieces is a runway that could be extremely long,” he said at an investor conference hosted by...

The Federal Reserve’s continued sale of non-agency mortgage-backed securities from the $31.2 billion Maiden Lane II portfolio is decreasing prices on subprime MBS, according to industry analysts. Investors are being urged to buy vintage subprime MBS now as prices on the assets appear to be hitting bottom. Prices on subprime MBS have dropped by as much as 21.0 percent since mid-February, according to the ABX index. The bulk of the decline has occurred since early April, largely for 2006 and 2007 vintages. “There are some reasons to believe we are at or approaching the...

The Mortgage Bankers Association has asked the FHA to clarify its view of “credit approval” for loan applications received prior to Oct. 1 in connection with the possible implementation of lower loan limits on that date. In a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the MBA made clear it continues to support the current, temporary loan limits. However, should the loan limit rollback occur as scheduled, the FHA must ensure that the change is implemented without disrupting the FHA financing process for consumers, the trade group said. In this regard, the MBA asked the FHA to explain ...

Many lenders may have to reconsider the costs and benefits of FHA lending in light of the federal government’s increasingly litigious approach to redressing FHA losses, warned industry risk experts. Not only has the government begun using the False Claims Act (FCA) with alarming frequency in alleged mortgage fraud cases involving taxpayer funds, but it also has found a companion statute in the federal Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act (PFCRA) of 1986 to increase recovery of FHA losses. In a recent client alert, Canfield & Associates, a government relations and consulting firm in Alexandria, VA, warned ...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is in conciliation talks with 22 FHA-approved mortgage lenders about “credit overlay” practices that resulted in a denial of credit to FHA-qualified borrowers. Agreements between HUD and the lenders may be announced within the next few weeks, said a HUD spokesperson, who declined to comment further because the issue is still in mediation. Discussion between HUD and the lenders have been ongoing since the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, an association of more than 600 community-based organizations, filed individual complaints against the 22 lenders late last year for alleged ...