FHA activity was lackluster in the first three months of 2016 as loan originations fell 7.8 percent from the prior quarter, according to Inside FHA/VA Lending’s analysis of agency data. The weak first-quarter production of $53.5 billion appeared to continue a trend from 2015, which saw the fourth quarter close with $58.1 billion, down significantly from $73.7 billion in the third quarter. In contrast, FHA originations fared better year-over year. Loan production was up 35.6 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. Purchase lending totaled $36.5 billion in the first three months with overall production trending downward during the period. Borrowers in the 640-679 and 680-719 credit score ranges made up the bulk of new endorsements for January and February, the latest FHA data show. It is unlikely that trend will change even if March endorsements were added. Between all ... [ 2 charts ]

After declining for 10 consecutive quarters, the serious delinquency rate on subprime mortgages increased in the first quarter of 2016, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The non-seasonally-adjusted serious delinquency rate on subprime mortgages was 12.41 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2016, up from 12.39 percent the previous quarter and down from 15.17 percent in the first quarter of 2015. The serious delinquency rate ... [Includes six briefs]

Portfolio lending remains a more viable option than securitization for lenders in the non-agency mortgage market in part because of the depth and variety of funding sources that allow them to offer a wide range of products. Depository institutions rely heavily on low-cost retail deposits to fund their retained mortgage portfolios, according to panelists speaking at the Mortgage Bankers Association secondary market conference in New York this week. A typical customer of ...

Helpful CFPB mortgage audit tip: Set aside a parking space for the visiting CFPB examiner(s) that says, “Welcome, CFPB…”

Activity in the Home Affordable Refinance Program continued to dwindle in the first quarter of 2016 as the post-housing crisis initiative winds down before expiring at the end of the year. HARP refinances fell to just 19,989 in the first quarter, down 5.2 percent from the previous period and off 36.8 percent from a year ago, according to a new Federal Housing Finance Agency report. While both government-sponsored enterprises saw a decline in volume, Freddie Mac volume was...[Includes one data table]

Over the past two weeks, MBS prices have been on a downward trajectory, leading some market watchers to ponder whether the long-awaited correction in values is finally upon the industry. But no one is quite ready to wave the white flag. Moreover, there’s a school of thought that says any rise in the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond could be short lived and, at some time over the next six to 12 months, rates might head south again, igniting yet another small refi rally. Some also believe the chance of a recession is in the cards. Barry Habib, who runs MBS Highway, a rate-locking advisory service, thinks...

The Securities and Exchange Commission is allowing MBS and ABS issuers to test asset-level disclosures and receive feedback in advance of requirements that take effect Nov. 23. Through July 15, issuers can request that SEC staff provide feedback on a test filing for compliance with the asset-level disclosure requirements set by the so-called Regulation AB2. The filings will be submitted via the new Form ABS-EE. Under Reg AB2, an ABS issuer that makes an initial bona fide offer on or after Nov. 23, 2016, must provide...

First-time buyers tend to target homes with lower prices, which have been in particularly short supply recently.

Freddie Mac and Common Securitization Solutions remain on track for the first stage of the ambitious Single Security to be implemented next year, according to officials speaking at this week’s secondary market conference sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association. David Applegate, CEO of CSS – the joint venture owned by the two government-sponsored enterprises that is building the common securitization platform – also said the project is on target to reach the second stage sometime in 2018. That’s when Fannie Mae will switch its to-be-announced business to the CSP and begin issuing Single Securities that will be fully interchangeable with Freddie Single Securities. Renee Schultz, senior vice president of capital markets at Fannie, said...

Commercial banks and thrifts boosted their combined holdings of residential MBS to a new record, $1.661 trillion, during the first quarter of 2016, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis. The data include held-to-maturity and available-for-sale accounts, but not trading assets, which included another $45.99 billion of residential MBS as of the end of March. The banking industry’s MBS holdings in HTM/AFS portfolios rose 1.0 percent from the end of 2015, and they were up a substantial 5.2 percent from a year ago. It’s worth noting that total assets in the banking industry actually rose a bit faster, by 2.1 percent, dropping the MBS share of total assets down slightly to 10.2 percent. Unlike some quarters, when activity by one or two dominant banks accounts for most of the industry’s change, the first-quarter increase was...[Includes two data tables]