Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan sellers pushed hard to increase originations of purchase-money mortgages during the first quarter of 2016, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis. The biggest beneficiaries were loan applicants with lower credit scores. In the first quarter of this year, 21.4 percent of purchase mortgages sold to the two government-sponsored enterprises had credit scores in the 620 to 699 range. That was up from just 14.4 percent in ... [Includes two data charts]

One observer noted: “Talk about a government takeover! This feels third-world to me…”

The MBS holdings of 16 top mortgage REITs were down 0.3 percent from the fourth quarter...

Marketplace lender Social Finance this month received seller/servicer approvals from Fannie Mae, but it remains to be seen just how active it will be in the secondary mortgage market. According to a spokesman for the privately held “SoFi,” the nonbank is now funding roughly $100 million per month in non-agency jumbos. According to firms that have done business with SoFi, it has sold the loans to OneWest Bank and Wells Fargo. To date, the online lender has yet to issue any ...

Over the past five years, the issuance market for securitization has fluctuated between feast and famine, noted one executive…

The poor stock performance of this group has bloodied the water for mortgage IPOs...

Accelerated growth through the acquisition of mortgage servicing rights is an undertaking that remains challenging to the industry, said the MMC…

Trade groups involved in home sales and appraisal issues are calling for a hearing in Congress regarding the future of appraisal regulation. The American Bankers Association, the Appraisal Foundation, the Appraisal Institute, the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors made the requests in letters to Congress. …

Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson ruled out any possibility of settlement with the Department of Justice over allegations of filing false claims on flawed FHA-insured mortgage loans, preferring instead a jury trial. During a recent interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Emerson said settlements are a business model that has worked well for the DOJ in its effort to recover taxpayer losses due to questionable FHA lending practices. Quicken Loans, however, will not cave in to agency…

Although still in its infancy, the number of mortgage loans originated by online marketplace lenders is growing and should be monitored, according to a white paper released by the U.S. Treasury Department this week. The paper, which includes research and industry recommendations in the online lending space, including mortgage loans, was based on responses to Treasury’s request for information on the topic. Acknowledging the benefits and risks of online lending, the study emphasized the need for…