Subservicing vendors continued to make gains in the fourth quarter as the appetite for outsourcing grew. In short, some MSR owners just don’t want to deal with the hassle of loan processing and regulations. (Includes data chart.)

The list of mortgage industry-related conferences called off due to concerns tied to the spread of the coronavirus is growing day by day.

In more troubles for Sterling Bank and Trust, the lender’s residential mortgage operations are now under investigation by the Department of Justice.

With rates falling to historic lows this week, originators are salivating at the possibilities. But will the boom bring capacity issues? Maybe, maybe not.

There seems to be no clear consensus among the Supreme Court justices hearing the case challenging the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

If Treasury converts its senior preferred shares to commons and the GSEs go for a public offering, existing shareholders will take a haircut. Valuations on the commons could dip to $1/share for Fannie and $2 for Freddie.

DoubleLine Capital has picked up a minority stake in OptionWide Financial, while MFA Financial has put its might behind five non-qualified-mortgage lenders.

The A-paper M&A market is in the doldrums. The reason: lenders are making money hand-over-fist and company owners are hanging on for one last shot at the refi rodeo.

Industry players are asking the NYDFS to delay new mortgage servicing rules that go live in less than two weeks. Servicers say they are not ready.

Low interest rates are great for lenders but servicers are having a tough time of it, especially shops looking to unload product. One dealmaker is advising clients to sell MSRs now before they “vaporize.”