But have layoffs by the megabanks hurt their ability to fund loans should mortgage rates fall further?

A signing bonus for an LO sounds nice, but keep in mind that a lender has to find a way to pay for that bonus, which could result in an increase in pricing.

On the residential side, the top hire was David Firestone, who carries the title of vice president of financial operations.

Did someone really pay a $300,000 signing bonuses to a new LO?

The CFPB recently issued new guidance that warns mortgage brokers to avoid acting as mini-correspondents in an attempt to side-step consumer protection laws and disclose how much money they make on a transaction. The bureau is concerned that some mortgage brokers may be setting up arrangements with investors in which the broker claims to be a “mini-correspondent lender,” when in fact the broker is still essentially just facilitating a transaction between a borrower and a lender. In its new guidance, the agency sets out some of the questions the CFPB may consider in evaluating mortgage transactions involving mini-correspondent lenders in order to understand their true nature. This evaluation involves examining how the mini-correspondent lender is structured and operating. Among the ...

Nationstar Mortgage ranked first among non-agency MBS issuers, but its volume was tied to servicer advances.

Over five years, Fannie and Freddie would be wound down, but would be allowed to be sold and recapitalized as private entities with different business plans.

Lenders are being careful about costs, but rising loan volumes could force some firms to hire, at least a little bit.

Industry reaction to the FHFA IG report on nonbank and small lender risk was swift. Maybe Fannie Mae is better off having Countrywide as its biggest customer again?

Impac Mortgage recently launched a suite of products that don’t meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s standards for qualified mortgages. The non-QMs are available via the correspondent channel and are aimed at prime borrowers. The lender refers to its offerings as “Alt QMs,” including a jumbo option, a program for loans slightly outside of agency guidelines and a program that purposefully excludes analysis of a borrower’s tax returns ...