Mortgage bankers continue to talk about declining refi applications but purchase money firms remain mostly optimistic about their prospects.

Stan Middleman, founder and CEO of Freedom Mortgage, will buy $20 million worth of stock in the new REIT, which (of course) has ties to Freedom.

Rep. Watt’s slightly more than two-pages of prepared testimony was long on biographical detail but lacking on mortgage-finance specifics.

Closely-watched market share calculations for the retail mortgage channel have been recalculated by Inside Mortgage Finance. In the past, Inside Mortgage Finance has calculated retail market shares by dividing each firm’s retail originations by the total volume of loans originated during the period with no involvement by third-party originators, either mortgage brokers or loan correspondents. Observers have pointed out...[Includes two data charts]

JPM is losing certain staffers to Freedom Mortgage. Meanwhile, is Art Ringwald contemplating a return to mortgage banking?

The revised ranking for the first quarter shows that the top retail lender, Wells Fargo, produced $60.4 billion through this channel, or 12 percent of total originations for the period.

Some non-agency participants have called for an immediate return to conforming loan limits of $417,000, which were in place in 2008 before Congress established “emergency” loan limits for high-cost areas.

The new Bachus bill could be a sign that House Republicans are making a fresh push to force a compromise with the Obama administration over the structure of the CFPB.

One source said Bexil shareholders will hold a meeting on the issue, possibly by week’s end.

The recent rate spike is causing concerns in the jumbo market, particularly for issuers.