Mark Jones, chair of the Mortgage Bankers Association, expects home sales to remain suppressed due to limited supply and elevated interest rates.

Better saw improvements in its pull-through rates in a pilot program in which the lender paid its LOs commissions. The lender found that its no-commission model didn’t work well for purchase mortgages.

A new research paper finds that mergers between real estate agencies and lenders can help boost origination market share but can also cost borrowers more in the long run.

The FDIC’s updated economic inclusion strategic plan includes a goal to increase mortgage lending by banks. The plan leans heavily on education and outreach, though CRA credit could also be an option.

A Michigan appeals court judge affirmed that UWM’s move to compel arbitration in a dispute with a former employee was seven months too late.

The mortgage process met or exceeded the expectations of many homebuyers; interest rates look to be too high for potential homebuyers; the defect rate on mortgages declined again; tech vendor raises $19 million; Altisource Asset Management exits mortgage market.

The agency single-family MBS market is the main driver of structured finance issuance, but it recorded a decline in first-quarter production while ABS, commercial MBS and non-agency RMBS posted gains. (Includes three data tables.)

The circuit court held that the ABS trusts are covered persons subject to the CFPB’s authority under the Dodd-Frank Act. The lawsuit could have a major impact on the broader securitization market, the Structured Finance Association warned.

The Ellington Financial affiliate is ditching agency MBS to become a registered closed-end fund with a focus on CLO investments.

Beginning May 13, Ginnie Mae will transition to a central application system for issuer submissions of required fidelity bond, errors and omissions insurance, and financial statements.