Some 59 nonbanks accounted for 60.6% of mortgage production by the top 100 lenders in the fourth quarter as their combined output rose 9.5% from the previous period. (Includes two data charts.)

The closure of nonessential businesses to contain the spread of the coronavirus has affected mortgage loan closings in counties where recording offices have shuttered.

It was mortgage market Armageddon this week, courtesy of the corona-virus. Lenders were knee-deep in refis but fears mounted regarding an expected spike in delinquencies and about nonbank liquidity. The feds issued a foreclosure moratorium on government and GSE loans.

Some non-QM lenders are facing pricing issues as demand in the secondary market fluctuates. At least one wholesale lender has suspended originations.

Several nonbanks claim to have plenty of liquidity amid the current market turmoil. Servicing will incur losses while originations generate income.

The Department of Justice’s antitrust investigation into FICO appears to be related to an ongoing civil lawsuit between the company and TransUnion regarding underpaid royalties.

Mortgage firms are either allowing call center employees to telework or have stepped up cleaning procedures in response to the coronavirus.

The warehouse lending sector is being inundated with requests for line increases as applications go through the roof. But not all financiers are participating, namely Texas Capital.

The creation of the qualified-mortgage patch was “unfair” but necessary to prop up originations, according to former CFPB officials who were involved in crafting the temporary rule.

The mortgage banking industry is grappling with historically low rates that are spurring a boom in originations but an anticipated bloodbath in MSR markdowns. Profits galore or Armageddon times?