Federal agencies want servicers of government-backed mortgages to pause foreclosure proceedings when the homeowner’s application for relief under the Homeowner Assistance Fund is pending.

An active secondary market in agency servicing rights helped a number of second-tier nonbanks build their owned servicing portfolios significantly in the first quarter. (Includes three data charts.)

Is the long-awaited M&A tsunami finally here? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for certain: Some of the IPO class of 2020-2021 might be vulnerable.

The two REITs have seen success even as profits from mortgage lending decline thanks to diversification efforts involving business-purpose lending and venture capital investments.

FDIC-insured banks are eager beavers when it comes to MSR acquisitions these days, dealmakers report. But have prices peaked? Not yet.

Trade groups representing smaller nonbank seller/servicers say it’s the larger nondepositories, with nearly 70% of the market, that pose the biggest risk to Fannie and Freddie.

Freddie continued to be the fastest-growing sector in agency servicing. Freedom Mortgage was a major seller in the first quarter, while Lakeview and Chase posted big gains. (Includes two data charts.)

Another blockbuster year for servicing sales? If the first quarter is any indication, the answer is yes. The key determinant: interest rates.

Borrowers still in pandemic-related relief are likelier to have weaker financial capacity, be minorities and live in majority-minority tracts.

While nonbanks continued to amass a greater share of the MBS servicing market, Chase and other depository institutions boosted their owned servicing in 2021. (Includes two data charts.)