Of course, there is a way to avoid the zero capital cushion dilemma. Congress can pass legislation to allow the GSEs to build capital or FHFA can act...

Lenders such as Sistar Mortgage of Michigan (licensed in 27 states) are still hiring.

Ginnie Mae had the smallest decline of the three agencies as new issuance slid 4.7 percent from July.

Besides being in charge of retail and correspondent lending, DeVito will oversee sales, operations, quality control, compliance, underwriting and support services.

Fannie Mae last week replaced its MyCommunityMortgage affordable lending program with a new product called HomeReady that allows borrowers to get housing counseling online and integrated with Fannie’s Desktop Underwriter system. Both programs are targeted to lower- and middle-income borrowers in select communities. Barry Zigas, president of Zigas and Associates, a consulting firm focused on housing, said HomeReady is a “game changing announcement” in his blog post this week, especially pointing to the product’s adoption of a standardized consumer education requirement and the incorporation of the product into Fannie’s Desktop Underwriter. Zigas formerly headed Fannie’s affordable housing unit. Its new functionality through DU will allow...

The nation’s top-ranked warehouse lenders ended the second quarter with $27.2 billion of commitments on their books, a 9.6 percent sequential increase and a handsome 43.8 percent gain from the same period a year earlier, according to survey figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance. The entire warehouse sector, a universe that includes roughly 60 active lenders, posted similar gains as nonbank lenders in the primary market continued to increase market share, which in turn feeds their thirst for financing an ever-increasing pipeline. “Utilization rates have been...[Includes one data table]

Lawsuits filed by the city of Miami against Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo were revived by an appeals court this week. The fair housing lawsuits allege a decade-long pattern of discriminatory lending that caused the city economic harm. The lawsuits were filed in December 2013. Miami claimed that predatory lending by the banks caused minority-owned properties in the city to fall into unnecessary or premature foreclosure, which deprived Miami of tax revenue and forced the city to spend more on municipal services to combat blight. The city made claims under the Fair Housing Act and state law. The city backed up...

Over the past year, small and medium-sized lenders have dominated the activity in the merger and acquisitions market, but all that could be changing as consolidation fever begins to gather steam and larger, struggling players consider a take-out strategy. Also, the recent announcement that the Blackstone Group would buy a majority stake in Stearns Lending – the nation’s 12th largest originator – has sparked hopes among investment bankers that potential sellers are finally lowering their expectations when it comes to price. An offering book on Stearns had been circulating for at least a year. Meanwhile, analysts who follow Stonegate Mortgage, which ranks 25th among originators, this week suggested...

One possible catalyst for a MIP cut could be poor results from a forthcoming HMDA report that shows FHA as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not servicing low-income borrowers very well.

In a recent SEC filing Two Harbors noted that after the second quarter ended it bought $4.7 billion of Fannie Mae servicing rights from an undisclosed seller.