Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac saw a robust 22.3 percent increase in their single-family business during the second quarter of 2015, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. The two government-sponsored enterprises issued a combined $232.36 billion of single-family mortgage-backed securities during the second quarter. It was their strongest quarterly production level since the third quarter of 2013, and it lifted ... [Includes three data charts]

Private mortgage insurers will have to hold more capital for lender-paid mortgage insurance, but the changes will only apply to business written after Jan. 1, 2016. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac this week announced that lender-paid MI coverage will be subject to a 1.10 “multiplier” for mortgages with loan-to-value ratios above 90 percent. Mortgages with LTV ratios of 90 percent or less will be subject to a 1.35 percent multiplier. The government-sponsored enterprises ...

Late last week, the Supreme Court of the United States delivered some long-sought clarity on the legitimacy of disparate-impact claims brought under the Fair Housing Act in the case of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. The highest court in the land validated the position of various lower courts, regulatory agencies and administrations over the last four decades that disparate impact is ...

When Fannie Mae recently announced that its automated underwriting system would be free for all seller-servicers, matching a move made by Freddie Mac, lenders everywhere rejoiced. But not the nation’s mortgage cooperatives, which stand to lose business because the advantage of their “buying power” (with Fannie and Freddie, at least) is now greatly reduced. “Co-ops basically lose their main benefit,” said Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage ...

Bayview offers several products for near-miss agency borrowers as well as non-QMs with guidelines that are more forgiving than those offered by jumbo lenders.

Originations of adjustable-rate mortgages in the past seven years have been well below production seen before the financial crisis. While low interest rates have contributed to limiting originations of ARMs, industry analysts suggest that other factors will continue to constrain ARM production even when interest rates rise. An estimated $41.0 billion in ARMs were originated in the first quarter of 2015, down 10.0 percent from the previous quarter and off ...

Prior to the financial crisis and the government takeover of Fannie and Freddie, some seller-servicers had “strategic alliance” deals that allowed them to pay under 15 basis points in g-fees...

With Greece ready to crack up, it was thought that mortgage rates might plunge. But it hasn't happened yet...

Many in the industry wonder why it appears that access to credit remains so tight, seven years after the last financial crisis.

The rating service reviewed 70 aspects of underwriting, including minimum credit scores, loan limits, tax return standards and appraisal requirements.