Fiscal 2012 turned out to be a stellar year for the Department of Veterans Affairs Home Loan Guaranty program with $119.23 billion in total loan volume, thanks largely to surging streamlined VA refinancing as well as conversions from FHA and conventional loans. A total of 539,884 new single-family mortgage loans with a VA guaranty were originated in 2012, up 59.12 percent from the prior fiscal year, according to the latest VA data. VA originations have been trending upward since 2010, when the agency reported $65.05 billion in new originations. Volume was largely driven...

Redwood is in the market with a new jumbo deal, this one with loans that have little in the way of seasoning.

PowerLink Settlement, a service provider and appraisal management joint venture controlled by Fidelity National Financial and Homeward Residential, is shutting its doors.

IsZo Capital Management increases stake in Impac Mortgage.

HSBC is planning a large nonperforming mortgage auction that could happen early in the second quarter.

Lenders are looking at guaranty fee hikes of 50 basis points this year - maybe.

Walter Investment is buying the residential origination platform of Ally Bank for next to nothing.

If Wells Fargo sells MSRs more investment vehicles dedicated to servicing rights may spring up.

Add this to the mortgage banker worry-list: the FHFA is once again toying with the idea of changing the minimum servicing fee on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.

Average loan-to-value ratios and debt-to-income ratios on loans securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were slightly lower – and credit scores edged slightly higher – during the fourth quarter, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis. The average LTV ratio edged down from 78.53 percent in the third quarter to 77.54 percent in the final three months of 2012. The average DTI ratio declined slightly, from 31.92 percent to 31.88 percent, while the average ... [Includes one data chart]