The long-awaited recovery in MSR sales may finally be here. It appears Ocwen and Freedom were the winning bidders on a $25 billion Quicken portfolio.

A proposal by state regulators to set standards for nonbank servicers was met with harsh criticism from many trade groups and industry analysts. The comment period for the proposal closed at the end of 2020.

The calendar has just turned and already we have a decent-sized M&A deal.

It wasn’t clear if coronavirus forbearance for federally backed mortgages was allowed after the end of 2020. Federal agencies addressed the issue near the end of December, though there’s still uncertainty.

Rates are rising and that means an end to the refi boom? Don’t bet on it.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19.4% of Black borrowers missed or delayed their September mortgage payment. The University of Southern California’s Understanding America Study put the figure at just 5.9%.

Banks continued to retreat from the business of servicing home loans for other investors as nonbanks increased their MBS servicing by 6.6% in the third quarter. (Includes two data charts.)

The proposal, if issued, will allow credit unions to purchase MSRs as an investment.

It’s been slow going when it comes to the sale of mortgage companies. But 2021 shows some promise — as long as rates don’t tank again.

State regulators should propose thresholds to relieve smaller nonbank servicers from certain regulatory requirements, said the CHLA.