Some of the features of the Private Mortgage Insurance Eligibility Requirements recently put out by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Finance Agency would probably increase costs and cyclicality in the mortgage and housing markets to an unnecessary degree, according to a new report by Moody’s Analytics and the Urban Institute. Study authors Mark Zandi and Cristian deRitis (Moody’s) and Jim Parrott (the Urban Institute) said the standards should succeed in ensuring that ...

Late last month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced the participants in its high-profile eClosing pilot project. The bureau chose a mix of technology vendors providing eClosing solutions and lenders that have contracted to close loans using those solutions. The vendor participants are Accenture Mortgage Cadence, DocMagic, eLynx, Pavaso, and PiersonPatterson LLP. The lenders are Blanco National Bank, Boeing Employees Credit Union, Franklin First Financial, Flagstar Bank ...

Homeownership among young adults under age 35 has dropped substantially, particularly among prime first-time homebuyers, despite the fact that owning a house has become less costly than renting in recent years, according to a Fannie Mae analysis. Specifically, the government-sponsored enterprise found that the homeownership rate of “prime” first-time homebuyers – defined as educated, married couples in their early 30s with kids and lots of money – fell by 8.6 percent between 2006 and 2012 ...

Banks and thrifts reported an 11.0 percent decline in the volume of mortgage repurchases and indemnifications they made during the second quarter of 2014, compared to the first three months of the year. An Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of call-report data found that bank and thrift repurchases and indemnifications totaled $1.012 billion in the second quarter, the lowest level since the first quarter of 2008. Buyback volume has been ... [Includes one data chart]

When it comes to new originations, the laggard in the government-insured group has been the FHA program.

Commercial banks and residential mortgages: is the great love affair over? Yes, says Kroll.

Originating unsecured consumer loans can be a risky venture, but LoanDepot says it wants to drive growth. Of course, it doesn't have any public shareholders to answer to.

Production of conventional mortgages – those eligible for sale to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as jumbo loans – grew at a faster rate than the government-insured market during the second quarter of 2014, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis. Origination of conventional-conforming mortgages increased by 24.4 percent from the first quarter, climbing to an estimated $153.0 billion. While that continued to account for the biggest chunk of new business – 52.1 percent – the biggest proportional increase in new lending came in the jumbo mortgage sector, where new originations jumped 34.1 percent during the second quarter. Production of government-insured mortgages, including FHA, VA and rural housing loans, increased...[Includes two data charts]

The level of warehouse commitments rose 9.6 percent on a sequential basis in the second quarter as originations increased in the primary market, according to figures compiled by Inside MortgageFinance. Overall, commitments edged up to an estimated $30.0 billion across the industry. But compared to the same period a year ago, commitments fell a bloodcurdling 26.8 percent, reflecting the downdraft in the overall origination market over the past 12 months. According to interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Finance over the past few weeks, usage rates improved...[Includes one data chart]