Thanks to its servicing business, Ocwen posted strong earnings in the first quarter but questions have been raised about its gain-on-sale margin.

Skyline Home Loans, a shop controlled by industry veteran Bill Dallas, could double loan originations this year. Roughly 35 percent of its fundings entail purchase money loans.

PHH Mortgage saw its gain-on-sale margin decline but it marked up the value of its MSRs.

The Obama administration has sent a message to the mortgage industry that it wants to expand the Home Affordable Refinance Program by changing the eligibility date for high loan-to-value and underwater borrowers who want to refinance loans financed by the government-sponsored enterprises. According to members of the Mortgage Bankers Association who attended a recent pow-wow at the White House, the administration wants to push the eligibility date for HARP into mid-2010 or so. Currently, a mortgage eligible for the program has to have a securitization date prior to June 2009. In theory, this would increase...

The high-profile ability-to-repay rule and its “qualified mortgage” standard issued earlier this year by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still a work in progress, as mortgage lending industry representatives continue to work the regulators for additional changes and clarifications before the January 2014 implementation. Last week, in meetings with CFPB personnel, officials from the Mortgage Bankers Association pressed for changes and additional guidance on the final rule. The CFPB recently issued a proposed rule to clarify a number of issues related to the January ATR rule. Many of the issues the trade group raised last week were not addressed...

Although a number of major correspondent lenders pulled back from that market in 2013, a hefty 29.1 percent of home mortgages were funded by one company and then sold, servicing released, to a larger aggregator and, typically, securitized by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae. That means total production figures that include correspondent lending significantly overstate the concentration in the mortgage origination sphere. Including its correspondent production, for example, Wells Fargo put its fingerprint on 27.7 percent of new mortgages originated in 2012. But the company’s direct originations – loans generated through its retail channel and funded through mortgage brokers – represented...

Redwood Trust isn't the only busy beaver in the jumbo MBS market. Credit Suisse is out with a new deal.

When it comes to sales of retail-originated loans with private mortgage insurance, Quicken Loans is the new king of the market, according to exclusive figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance.

Not only is Genworth's mortgage insurance division in the black again, but it expects to stay profitable.

W.J. Bradley isn't necessarily buying Legacy Group Lending, but the two firms are combining forces.