The FHA’s 203(k) Property, Repair and Rehabilitation program saw a significant increase in activity in the third quarter of 2016, both relative to the previous quarter and from the same period a year ago. Origination of FHA-insured fixer-upper loans jumped 16.2 percent from the previous quarter, bringing the nine-month production total to $2.4 billion. On a year-over-year basis, volume rose 6.9 percent. The top five FHA 203(k) lenders saw a 52.5 percent increase in originations in the third quarter, totaling $202.1 million. Year-over-year, production by the same group was off by 13.1 percent. Purchase loans accounted for $2.2 billion of 203(k) mortgages originated by lenders over the nine-month period while refinance rehab loans accounted for $237.9 million. Billion-dollar weather and climate disasters may have contributed to the surge in 203(k) business. As of September 2016, 12 weather and ... [Chart]
Real estate investment trusts that invest in agency MBS could be in for some turbulence on their book values in the coming quarters if rates continue to rise – as they have since the November election. As Inside MBS & ABS went to press, most analysts had come to the same conclusion: that publicly traded mortgage REITs have underperformed most financial stocks, including nonbank lender-servicers such as Ocwen Financial, PHH Corp. and Walter Investment Management Corp. Then again, investing in so-called mREITs has never been...
This week, for only the first time this year and only the second time in the last decade, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points, a move widely expected by market participants. What captured more attention was an upward adjustment of the Federal Open Market Committee’s so-called “dot plot,” suggesting that the U.S. central bank anticipates possibly raising rates three times during each of the next three years. Last year at this time, the FOMC raised...
Originations of adjustable-rate mortgages increased by 9.4 percent in the third quarter of 2016, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. With an increase to interest rates on mortgages seen this quarter and even higher rates expected, ARMs appear likely to gain market share. An estimated $58.0 billion in ARMs were originated in the third quarter, accounting for 9.9 percent of first-lien originations, according to Inside Mortgage Finance ... [Includes one data chart]
Lenders originating interest-only mortgages showed divergent trends in the third quarter, with some posting significant declines on a quarterly basis while others continued to increase production. A group of 12 lenders tracked by Inside Nonconforming Markets originated a total of $9.64 billion in IOs during the third quarter, down 23.7 percent from the previous quarter. The decline was driven by PHH Mortgage, whose IO originations through three quarters this year ... [Includes one data chart]
Mortgage brokers played a somewhat diminished role in jumbo mortgage originations during the third quarter, according to an exclusive Inside Nonconforming Markets analysis and jumbo lender profile. Survey data from Inside Mortgage Finance show that brokers were responsible for just 3.9 percent of jumbo originations in the third quarter, down from 4.5 percent in the previous period. The retail (79.8 percent) and correspondent (16.3 percent) shares were ... [Includes one data chart]
Royce Goldman, a marketing lead generator, noted that as interest rates rise, the firm can help connect lenders that originate non-qualified mortgages with borrowers. “As private capital and securitization continue to expand under a more favorable regulatory climate, we will continue to see liquidity expansion but it will require a data driven approach to sourcing the client profile this investor community will lend to,” said John Royce, CEO of Royce Goldman.
FHA will no longer perform pre-closing reviews of loans prior to endorsement, according to an agency notice published in the Federal Register this week. Rather, a lender applying for direct endorsement (DE) authority will be required to submit loan files for FHA’s pre-endorsement review only after closing. After determining the mortgage’s eligibility, FHA will notify the lender of the loan’s endorsement. Although the notice’s effective date is Jan. 13, 2017, lenders will be required to submit only closed mortgages for pre-endorsement review on or after April 1, 2017. FHA said it is providing a four-month grace period so that applicants for DE authority will have sufficient time to prepare for the switch. The agency is currently adjusting its systems to accommodate the change. Lenders will be updated periodically about these modifications prior to April 1. Lenders that enter the ...