The spike in interest rates in recent months didn’t cause a significant change in homebuyer behavior, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. The non-cash share of purchase-financing continued to increase in July and sales-to-list price ratios remained elevated, indicating strong demand from homebuyers relying on mortgage financing. Non-cash financing (conventional mortgages, FHA and VA, non-agency, etc.) accounted for 72.1 percent of ...

Federal regulators this week re-proposed risk-retention requirements with an option to align the definition of qualified residential mortgages with the definition of qualified mortgages. The regulators said the alignment will help increase mortgage availability and reduce compliance costs. “The agencies are concerned about the prospect of imposing further constraints on mortgage credit availability at this time, especially as such constraints might disproportionately affect groups that have ...

Commercial banks and savings institutions continued to generate solid earnings on their mortgage banking activity during the second quarter of 2013, according to a new call report analysis by Inside Mortgage Trends. Banks and thrifts reported $8.164 billion in mortgage banking income during the second quarter, a 6.0 percent increase from the first three months of the year. It was, in fact, the second best quarterly earnings for the industry since the bank call report was amended in ... [Includes two data charts]

With improving loan quality and mortgage repurchase reviews declining, due diligence firms have been under stress the past year.

Warehouse lending executives say they are seeing their nonbank clients earn less money this summer, but noted that profits are still strong by historical levels.

Commercial banks are earning a ton of dough on residential servicing fees, but nonbanks are seeing an erosion in profits.

The the most powerful consumer regulator in the nation raised concerns about aligning the definitions of 'qualified residential mortgage' and 'qualified mortgage.'

The agency watchdog wants HUD to pursue civil remedies against The Lending Company and impose fines for incorrectly certifying that mortgages were eligible for FHA insurance.

FHFA has been analyzing approaches for reducing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limits across the country, "and any such change would be announced with adequate advance notice for implementation on January 1, 2014" the regulator said.

Thomas Hoenig, vice chairman of the FDIC, said he is particularly interested in exploring the downpayment issue further. Securities investors are also likely to push for downpayment requirements for QRMs.