With the Opes transaction, Flagstar acquired 39 retail offices on the West Coast, supplementing the 99 retail branches it already had in Michigan and 43 other retail home lending offices across the nation.
Jumbo mortgage production declined 32.9 percent during the first quarter of 2017, along with virtually every other part of the home-loan market, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. An estimated $70.0 billion of non-agency jumbo mortgages were originated during the first quarter, a 30.0 percent decline from the previous three-month period. In addition, some $29.0 billion of conforming-jumbo mortgages were delivered into Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities in the first three months of the year. These are loans on one-unit properties that exceed the baseline agency loan limits and are eligible because they’re secured by homes in designated high-cost markets. The agency-jumbo market was...[Includes three data tables]
It’s been a busy spring for sales of mortgage servicing rights, with investment advisors pushing out several new auction notices a week. And there’s even more good news: for the first time in several years, prices appear to be balanced, with neither buyers nor sellers having the upper hand. “This is the most balanced market I’ve seen since 2013 or 2014,” said one East Coast-based investment banker, who spoke under the condition he and his firm remain anonymous. “Right now, I think both buyers and sellers can get good deals.” Another positive for the market: “In terms of bidders, there seems to be plenty.” Mark Garland, president of MountainView Servicing Group, Denver, sees...
Four financial regulatory agencies recently recommended that appraisers get temporary practice permits and waivers when moving to another state in order to help alleviate the shortage of appraisers, especially in rural areas. The Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the National Credit Union Administration are concerned that the limited number of state-certified and licensed appraisers is slowing down appraisal turnaround times. They suggest that when an appraiser moves to another state, that the new state regulator recognize the certification or license issued by another state on a temporary basis for federally related transactions. The banking regulators also recommend...