The "Lost Sales Analysis" product – licensed from its developer, Equifax – helps originators determine if applicants closed a mortgage with a competitor.

Nonbanks continued to grab a larger share of the mortgage servicing business during the fourth quarter of 2016, and the rapid emergence of investor servicers – firms that buy mortgage-servicing rights while tapping other firms to actually administer the pools – promises to bring more change. A new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis shows that nonbanks that ranked among the top 50 servicers increased their holdings by 6.9 percent during the fourth quarter. Depository institutions among the top 50 servicers reduced their holdings by 1.2 percent during the same period. With Citi, the sixth-largest servicer at the end of 2016, now in the process of selling a large chunk of its MSR assets – in some cases to investors that will use subservicers – the demographics of the industry will change...[Includes two data tables]

Not only did Citigroup shock the market this week with its decision to exit residential servicing operations, but the move could be the start of an eventual withdrawal from all mortgage banking. For now, the nation’s sixth-largest servicer – and 13th-largest originator – is strongly refuting such talk, but that isn’t stopping the industry from speculating on the megabank’s next move. “If they firmly believe they can’t make money in servicing and cross-selling, then this is...

Real estate investment trust New Residential Investment Corp. has been quietly trolling for mortgage servicing assets the past year and snagged a big one this week when it agreed to buy $97 billion in agency rights from Citigroup. Now comes the hard part: incorporating the receivables into an already fast-growing portfolio and convincing regulators at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Ginnie Mae officials that it has both the management structure and the financial wherewithal to handle so much product. According to a tally from Inside Mortgage Finance, since early December New Residential has acquired...

In many cases, the fourth quarter drop was due to poor performance on servicing hedges.

The CFPB also took action against two realty firms: ReMax Gold Coast and Keller Williams Mid-Willamette...

The nomination of investment banker Steven Mnuchin to head the Treasury Department moved forward Wednesday...

A fun fact for nonbanks: Depository institutions among the top 50 servicers reduced their holdings by 1.2 percent during the same period.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods is worried about the prepayment risk that comes with owning so much Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac servicing rights…

The largest Fannie/Freddie servicers are still Wells Fargo, JPMorgan and Bank of America, but all three continue to shrink their exposure to GSE product...