Although there appears to be strong interest these days in mortgage banking firms, the outlook isn’t particularly bright for commercial banks.

“The conservatorships are a huge barrier to entry for private capital,” said former FHFA Acting Director Edward DeMarco.

Dovenmuehle and Cenlar have long dominated the sector, but a growing number of small and midsized players have made inroads in recent years.

The Mortgage Bankers Association wants the FHFA to push Fannie and Freddie to go easy on mortgage buybacks.

Among the four largest holders of first liens, only Bank of America decreased its portfolio in the second quarter.

Is it time to sell shares in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

The recent adoption by the Securities and Exchange Commission of its Regulation AB II disclosure rule is expected to be a “credit positive” for the auto loan and lease ABS sector, but it probably will also raise costs for market participants and, ultimately, consumers, according to an industry consensus of the new rule. The new regulatory regime mandates standardized loan-level disclosures for ABS backed by auto loans and leases, as well as other classes, as reported previously. The loan-level data have to be provided on the SEC’s free online database known as the EDGAR system. Although specific data requirements vary by asset class, the new asset-level disclosures generally will include...

Investors are paying up for distressed mortgages these days, fueling talk that the market might see more in the way of securitizations. “Buyers of non-performing loans want to securitize,” said Brian Dunn, senior vice president of MountainView Capital Group. “They like the [real estate mortgage investment conduit] structure.” According to Dunn, the securitization of nonperforming mortgages “has taken off...

The days of the megabanks – Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America – buying mortgage companies (of any size) are over. Never again. Right?...

Servicer performance in the Home Affordable Modification Program is at one of the lowest levels in the five-year history of the loss mitigation program, according to the Treasury Department and the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Last week, the Treasury revealed that four of the seven largest servicers participating in the non-agency portion of HAMP need at least moderate improvement. CitiMortgage was ranked the lowest among the large servicers and will have its HAMP incentive payments withheld by the Treasury until the servicer’s performance improves.