The mortgage banking industry is grappling with historically low rates that are spurring a boom in originations but an anticipated bloodbath in MSR markdowns. Profits galore or Armageddon times?

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, some state regulators have temporarily eased rules to allow loan originators to telecommute.

The industry has once again written to Congress requesting that guarantee fees be used only as originally intended: as a critical risk management tool to protect against potential mortgage credit losses.

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.