The mortgage banking industry is backing a proposal by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to reduce the loan-to-value ratio on FHA-insured mortgage loans over $625,500 from 96.5 percent to 95 percent. In effect, the proposal would raise the minimum downpayment on FHA-insured jumbo loans from 3.5 percent to 5 percent. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the proposal would help return FHA to its historical core mission of providing first-time, minority and low- and moderate-income homebuyers access to affordable mortgage credit. The proposal is also designed to encourage the return of ...

Ginnie Mae servicing volume was up modest 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 and 9.1 percent higher from the previous year, with some eye-popping increases reported by several servicers. The top servicers of Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities reported $1.31 trillion in government-backed mortgage debt outstanding in the fourth quarter, up from $1.29 trillion from the previous quarter. Wells Fargo led the pack with $407.2 billion after posting gains on a quarterly and year-over-year basis while second-place Bank of America recorded a total of ... [1 chart]

Some underwriters in the private mortgage insurance space are rolling out new technology in their efforts to reacquire market share lost to the FHA even as market tidal forces continue to shift in favor of private MIs. Radian Guaranty, a subsidiary of Radian Group, has introduced its MI rate finder application, Radian Rates, for Android smart phone devices on Google Play. Designed as a mobile version of the company’s existing online rate finder, Radian Rates checks eligibility, compares options and automatically calculates the MI rate depending on the ...

The long awaited recovery in the jumbo MBS market may finally be here as more banks plan to issue securities.

Quicken is buying a large MSR portfolio from the government-owned Ally Bank and more deals may be in the works.

The FHFA IG, in a new report, is critical of how Freddie Mac is managing its services regarding consumer complaints.

Nationstar Mortgage, a fast growing residential servicer, is losing the man in charge of default processing at the firm.

Industry veteran Sy Naqvi is stepping down as CEO of PNC Mortgage.

The share of cash purchases of homes increased for five consecutive months, hitting 32.3 percent in February, based on the three-month moving average.

Is the refinancing boom finally over? Some mortgage bankers are beginning to get nervous.