Thanks to sustained low interest rates, auctions of mortgage servicing rights are scarce these days, but not impossible. Investors are still interested but they're cautious. Meanwhile, loan production continues to increase.

Quicken rarely talks about its presence in the wholesale/broker market, but the company recently named a new EVP Austin Niemiec in charge of the business. Meanwhile, some have pegged Quicken's wholesale volume at $5 billion a quarter. What's going on here?

Mortgage Grapevine: Rushmore is buying another origination platform, a sign that mortgage M&A could be on the rise again. Meanwhile, Fannie Mae is offering buyout packages to a select group of employees.

The use of automated valuation models is set to increase, prompting concerns and some optimism among industry participants. The Dodd-Frank Act directed federal regulators to address the use of AVMs but that hasn't happened yet.

Grapevine: A few days ahead of a scheduled bankruptcy auction, New Residential Investment Corp. has swooped in and made a "stalking horse" bid. Meanwhile, a big promotion at Fannie Mae and a record month for Guaranteed Rate.

The company agreed to pay $32.5 million in damages to settle False Claims Act allegations tied to FHA underwriting. it admitted no wrongdoing while agreeing to stay in the program.

Nonprime lender Deephaven Mortgage soon will have a new owner: Investment fund manager Pretium Partners, the brainchild of former Goldman Sachs executive Don Mullen. Last fall Pretium agreed to acquire specialty servicer Selene Finance. It's scouring for other deals as well.

It's no secret that Ginnie Mae officials are losing sleep over nonbanks dominating the government MBS market. With liquidity a primary concern, the agency is ready to consider "non-traditional" investors in its MSRs. But there's a catch: They may have to commit as much as $1 billion.