The mortgage originations market is still, by and large, a banker’s game, but nonbank lenders are continuing to muscle up their share of new production, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking. During the first quarter of 2014, nonbank lenders accounted for 37.7 percent of originations made by a large sample of lenders that covered more than three quarters of the total production during the period. That was up from a 35.5 percent nonbank share in the fourth quarter of 2013 and a 26.0 percent nonbank share back in the first three months of last year. The nonbank share of originations is...

Several mid-sized nonbanks that earned a ton of money during the refi boom of the past two years are in the hunt to buy the production assets of other companies, hoping to snatch additional market share away from commercial banks. Moreover, some mortgage advisors that ply their trade in the mergers and acquisitions space believe that unless origination volumes improve rapidly, the “roll-up” of the mortgage industry could be fierce by the end of 2014. According to recent production figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance, the residential finance industry is coming off its worst origination quarter in 14 years. Rick Roque, a principal in the boutique advisory firm Menlo Company Global, anticipates...

MBA believes the imposition of compensatory fees has morphed into a risk-sharing mechanism that shifts the costs of the prolonged foreclosure process from the GSEs onto mortgage servicers.

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-ND, a co-sponsor of the Johnson-Crapo bill, also said the measure is moving forward. “This train is leaving the station,” she said. But whether it makes it to the floor of the Senate is another matter.

As far as pricing goes, if g-fees are raised Fannie and Freddie could earn more money – cash that ultimately would wind up at the Treasury Department, which sweeps most of their earnings each quarter.

A new trade group is showing true love for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Also, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is giving lenders some breathing room on the Qualified Mortgage/Ability-to-Repay rule.

Reverse mortgages guaranteed by the government are due and payable upon the death of the homeowner, the sale of the home, and other conditions, including the failure to reside in the property or pay the taxes and insurance.

Originally, the technology vendor blamed the shutdown on a cyber-attack by hackers, but then a few weeks later ruled out that explanation.

Lobbyists tracking the bill now believe that a “negotiated” final measure will not be ready for a full committee vote until possibly mid-May.

Meanwhile, rumors abound that Fannie and Freddie may once again be looking at the possibility of selling some of its nonperforming mortgages…