Elsewhere, in the report FHFA claims significant progress has been made on the development and initial testing of the GSEs’ common securitization platform.

Meanwhile, a new report from Compass Point Research is predicting that the FHFA will establish a final risk-to-capital threshold for MIs of 18:1.

HUD has been steadily auctioning off nonperforming mortgages the past few months. Sources in the market disclosed to IMFnews who some of the winning bidders are. They include: Credit Suisse, Ellington, Kondaur, PIMCO and Varde.

The "good" news for lenders is that interest in the mortgage industry is still strong despite declining volumes and shrinking profit margins.

As a group, banks and thrifts reported net earnings of $4.76 billion on their mortgage-banking activity during the third quarter, a 42 percent drop from the second quarter.

Some sellers of residential servicing rights are selling bulk, but are also entering into "flow" components.

The civil action entails the alleged taking from WJB of some 5,000 loan files. It should be noted that these aren’t just any LOs – the group in question ranks among the top producers in the nation.

Some 33 mortgage lenders contributed loans to the new jumbo MBS led by Guaranteed Rate with a 9.3 percent share.

In just a matter of days, JPMorgan Chase agreed to two separate settlements totaling $17.5 billion to resolve federal and state civil claims as well as representation and warranty and servicing claims involving residential MBS. On Nov. 19, the Department of Justice, along with other federal and state agencies, announced a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan, which acknowledged making misrepresentations about billions of dollars in MBS sold to investors prior to Jan. 1, 2009. The settlement is said to be the largest combination of damages and civil fines for a single entity in U.S. history. Most of the damage was inflicted...

Lobbyists and analysts who track the market are unanimous on one key issue: GSE loan limits. From what we’re told, Watt will shelve any thought of lowering the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac mortgage limit in 2014.