Merger and acquisition activity is heating up, but most of it centers on mortgage servicing rights, huge blocks of it. Not only is SPS in play, but so too is SLS.

With volumes at lows not seen since before the Great Financial Crisis, Fannie and Freddie continue to turn in steady profits.

Disagreements about the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s new pricing grids for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac highlight differences between Democrats and Republicans.

Last year was a trying year for most lenders. Among publicly traded shops, Rocket’s Jay Farner was one of the highest paid CEOs in the land, topping Mat Ishbia at United Wholesale Mortgage.

A combination of internal mismanagement and lax regulation led to the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, according to reviews by the Fed and the FDIC. The regulators plan to tighten regulation of banks, including a focus on interest rate risk.

FHFA Director Sandra Thompson said critics of the new schedule of upfront fees for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac misunderstand the nature and purpose of the price changes.

Servicing valuations are starting to inch downward, but not dramatically. The good news: Investors still want the asset and prices are holding firm. One notable: More MSR owners are hedging the asset these days.

First Republic Bank has set its sights on cleaning up its balance sheet and originating loans for sale to the secondary market, which may be easier said than done.

The Mortgage Bankers Association is opposed to the Federal Trade Commission’s plan to ban most noncompete clauses. However, several individual commenters from the mortgage industry favor the proposal.

Mr. Cooper hopes to surpass the $1 trillion mark as a servicer/subservicer, an event that could happen by yearend if it keeps gobbling up portfolios. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of MSRs to buy.