Originations of non-agency jumbo mortgages increased by 36.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared with the previous quarter, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Meanwhile, officials at Redwood Trust have urged banks to ... [includes one graph and one chart].

Once major supporters of alternative mortgages, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now proudly tout their preference for plan vanilla mortgages. Michael Williams, Fannie’s president and CEO, said the GSE is setting new standards for credit quality in the mortgage industry with the shift in acquisition activity... [includes one chart]

The House has approved legislation that would end the Home Affordable Modification Program, though the legislation is unlikely to progress beyond the House. The Senate has introduced companion legislation, but is unlikely to pass such a bill... [includes one chart]

Wells Fargo will stop offering reverse mortgages through its wholesale and broker channels after next week, becoming the latest large FHA lender to reconfigure its business in that sector. Bank of America announced in early February that it will stop originating reverse mortgages as the company plans to focus on its “core” business. Wells and BofA were...[Includes one data chart]

Mortgage originations made by the Department of Veterans Affairs fell slightly from 2009 to 2010, but the VA’s share of the market set an all-time record last year due to the drop in total mortgage lending. The $68.92 billion in VA loans made...[Includes one data chart]

Just over two thirds of the home mortgages originated in 2010 were to refinance an existing loan, a surprisingly low figure given the historic lows in mortgage interest rates seen last year and the still weak state of the housing market. A total of $1.055 trillion of refinance loans were originated...[Includes three data charts]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to inch toward profitability in a market that remains dicey, tentative and uneven – all while navigating between escalating dividend payouts to the Treasury Department and a steep drop in their need for additional capital infusions. Over the last 12 months, the two GSEs have seen...[Includes one data chart]

Banks reported a huge 41 percent drop in the volume of mortgage repurchases and indemnifications made during the fourth quarter of 2010, but most major institutions say the problem isn’t over yet. A new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of call report data reveals that banks repurchased...[Includes three data charts]

The government’s heavy footprint in the residential mortgage market shifted slightly in 2010 as the FHA and VA programs gave back some market share and the government-sponsored enterprises captured a smaller slice of the conventional conforming business. In 2009, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issuance of single-family mortgage securities backed by newly-originated loans accounted...[Includes three data charts]