One after another, it appears that residential lenders are dipping their toes back into the correspondent lending channel, thanks in part to the fat profit margins tied to securitization and retaining the underlying servicing rights. Over the past few weeks, a handful of lenders announced their intention to either launch a correspondent lending division or jumbo conduit. Firms entering the correspondent space include Envoy Mortgage and Real Estate Mortgage Network. The conduit ... [Includes one data chart]

The government-sponsored enterprises’ share of purchase-mortgage originations has increased each of the last two years, according to a new analysis by Inside Mortgage Trends. The shift in market share includes decreased purchase-mortgage originations for the FHA and a lack of housing inventory, prompting increased home prices. Some $377.2 billion in agency purchase mortgages were originated in 2012, with a 66.5 percent share for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac combined. In 2010, the GSEs ... [Includes one data chart]

The new ability-to-repay (ATR) rule and the “qualified mortgage” definition will result in more predictable, less costly servicing for prime QMs and increased complexity for subprime and non-QMs, according to an analysis by Deloitte Touche. The ATR rule defines an ability-to-repay standard for mortgages, including eight borrower characteristics to be considered in the lending decision. It also creates a QM definition that clarifies compliance with the ATR standard for loans with certain features and ...

The recent court ruling which called into question the legitimacy of certain recess appointments – including that of CFPB director Richard Cordray – also means the agency may not have any regulatory oversight over nonbanks.

Residential production increased modestly during the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis.

Fannie Mae appears to be getter faster in approving seller/servicer approvals.

FHA chief warns against false advertising.

Quicken is now a top-five ranked residential retail lender, but some of its loan volume comes from correspondent purchases.

Although Fannie Mae has set purchase limits on how much production newly approved seller/servicers can sell to the GSE, Freddie Mac has shied away from such caps.

Nationstar Mortgage is telling potential investors in the company that it plans to be a significant player in settlement services, REO management, processing and other areas.