The securitization market produced $1.182 trillion of new residential MBS in 2011, a sharp 16.6 percent decline from the year before, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis. Despite a strong finish in the fourth quarter, when MBS production rose 33.8 percent from the previous three-month period, mortgage securitization activity fell for the second year in a row and reached the lowest annual output in over a decade. The non-mortgage ABS market was relatively stronger. Total issuance for the year came to $126.8 billion, a 15.7 percent increase over 2010. Most of the...(Includes one data chart)

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s announcement last week that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will increase their guarantee fees on new single-family MBS is likely just the first step in a progression of fee hikes over the next two years, MBS analysts predict. The across-the-board 10 basis point increase in guarantee fees for single-family MBS will take effect April 1, according to announcements by the two government-sponsored enterprises this week. The fee hike implements provisions in the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, H.R. 3765, passed by Congress and signed by...

The mortgage securitization and servicing industries say proposed changes to the servicing compensation model for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities would have a negative effect on liquidity in the to-be-announced market, hurt investors in agency MBS and increase the cost of mortgage credit for borrowers. The Federal Housing Finance Agency released a discussion paper last fall that outlined two potential new approaches to servicing compensation: a fee-for-service approach favored by the two government-sponsored enterprises, and a reserve account approach developed by lender...

In 2011, high-touch subprime servicer Carrington Mortgage Services significantly decreased its delinquency processing timelines and had its servicer rating confirmed at the end of the year. The servicer also made adjustments after facing criticism from non-agency mortgage-backed security investors who claimed that Carrington’s practices improperly favored investments made by the hedge fund that also owns the servicer. Carrington serviced $11.73 billion in subprime mortgages as of the end of the third quarter of 2011, according to estimates by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The servicer received a mid-range rating for subprime and special servicing from Fitch Ratings, with the rating service recently confirming that Carrington “demonstrates proficiency in overall servicing ability.” ...

Loan modifications with principal reduction have significantly increased in the past year, with servicers seeing improved performance compared with other types of mods. The mods remain concentrated on securitized non-agency mortgages as well as portfolio loans, but performance varies considerably. After falling to a 2.7 percent share in the fourth quarter of 2010, principal reduction mods have accounted for a growing share of bank and thrift mod activity, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Principal reduction was used in 7.8 percent of the mods completed by nine major bank and thrift servicers in the third quarter of 2011. ...

Congress has approved legislation directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development to raise FHA mortgage insurance premiums by 10 basis points within the next two years. The FHA premium increase provision was a late addition to the contentious payroll tax cut extension bill, corresponding to an intensely debated 10 bps increase in guarantee fees charged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on single-family mortgage-backed securities. H.R. 3765, the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, was approved by unanimous consent in the House and was previously cleared by the Senate. It extends...

The FHA has extended for one more year a temporary waiver of a regulation prohibiting property flipping in order to facilitate faster sale of its bulging real estate-owned inventory. The agency hopes that having the waiver in place until Dec. 31 will stimulate the rehabilitation of foreclosed and abandoned homes for another year, including properties being resold within 90 days of acquisition. The waiver is not limited to the resale of foreclosed properties. “Property flipping” occurs when a property acquired at a discounted price is resold for a considerable profit with an...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has entered into a partnership agreement with the National Community Stabilization Trust to facilitate the implementation of a “first look” program that will give preference to certain purchasers to acquire FHA real estate-owned properties. In a notice published in the Federal Register, HUD announced the issuance of a universal Name and Address Identification Number (NAID) to the NCST to assist eligible buyers in purchasing REO properties under the National Stabilization Program’s “First Look Sales Method.” The NAID requirement for purchasers is...

While Congress debated the payroll tax cut extension, a tax provision allowing homeowners to deduct private mortgage insurance premiums from their annual federal tax bill quietly expired on Dec. 31. Consequently, mortgage loans with private MI that closed on or after Jan. 1, 2012, will no longer be able to use the deduction, unless Congress passes a bill that extends the deduction through next year retroactive to the beginning of 2012. It is a lapse that occurs almost every year, according to MI industry participants. Tax deductibility of MI premiums is part of a huge legislative package...

The Department of Veterans Affairs has liberalized the requirements for modification of VA-guaranteed loans and has provided servicers with more options to help veterans avoid foreclosure. Final rules published recently in the Federal Register show changes to requirements related to the calculation of interest rates on modified loans as well as foreclosure costs that may be rolled into the modified loan balance. The rules also give mortgage servicers the flexibility to modify VA loans without seeking prior approval from the VA, thus speeding up assistance to veteran borrowers facing...