The nation’s largest mortgage investing REIT, Annaly Capital Management, reported a $627 million loss in the third quarter compared to a $900 million profit in 2Q.

Wells Fargo once again ranked first among all GSE sellers with a market share of 15.3 percent in October, almost triple that of the number two ranked Quicken Loans.

According to a transcript of the earnings call, PHH also is contemplating exiting the FHA program.

KBRA noted that this will be the first post-crisis deal to include a significant contribution of mortgages from UBS Bank.

Mortgage broker employment hit a multi-year low of 55,200 jobs in the spring of 2011, but the sector has steadily added workers...

Maybe a "reverse" merger might work for Stonegate Mortgage...

Meanwhile, regional banks appeared to weather the quarter better than other sectors of the mortgage industry…

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae issued $107.19 billion of single-family MBS last month, a 5.6 percent decline from September’s volume.

A helpful piece of advice: MSA participants should avoid entering into agreements that provide for exclusivity, such as being named a preferred lender.

So, where did all the talk of a possible sale or spin-off come from? Answer: from activist investor Carl Icahn.