Based on mortgage results reported thus far, the first quarter was a nasty time for new originations for both the megabanks and some of the regionals, with non-depositories reporting slightly more benign production figures. Market leader Wells Fargo posted a hefty 38.9 percent one-quarter drop in mortgage originations. Second-ranked JPMorgan Chase reported a slightly less severe 23.0 percent drop in home loan funding. Citigroup, which a few months back made a strategic decision to deemphasize its role in home lending, suffered a 32.1 percent drop. Then there’s...

Many borrowers could have seen significant savings on the interest rate on a mortgage if they shopped around, according to a working paper published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office of Research. The bureau economists noted that close to half of consumers didn’t shop before taking out a mortgage, based on the National Survey of Mortgage Originations, a representative survey conducted by the CFPB and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. And only 16.0 percent of borrowers considered three or more lenders before obtaining a mortgage. The economists said...

Most of the banks’ non-QMs received that designation due to high debt-to-income ratios.

Industry experts are concerned that significantly raising the standard federal income-tax deduction could make the mortgage-interest deduction less valuable and hurt the housing market. The Republican “blueprint” for a massive overhaul of federal income taxes proposes boosting the standard deduction from $12,600 to $24,000 for joint filers. This could mean fewer taxpayers would itemize their deductions and claim the MID. The Community Home Lenders Association opposes...

The share of renters who expect to purchase a home is declining, according to a survey conducted for Freddie Mac. Even though many renters reported optimism about their financial situations, saving for a downpayment and other factors present hurdles to financing a home purchase. Some 41 percent of renters surveyed said they expect to purchase a home, down from 45 percent in September. Freddie also found that the number of renters who say they are working toward homeownership fell from 21 percent in September to 15 percent in March. Most renters said...

We understand that some surprising names are beginning to show up at auctions for nonprime, non-agency whole loans...

The largest civil money penalty imposed by the board was $604,000 as part of a settlement with Ocwen Loan Servicing...

Average DTI ratios on prime non-agency MBS range from 30.0 percent to 33.0 percent in any given quarter.

A reason to go digital? According to one study, the mortgage market consumes almost 2.2 billion sheets of paper annually, which is equivalent to more than 260,000 trees...

While the market for nonprime MBS was relatively strong during the first quarter, Moody’s said some investors have shied away from the sector.