Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac trimmed their retained mortgage investment portfolios in the first quarter of 2016 by a combined 2.8 percent. The Federal Housing Finance Agency directed the government-sponsored enterprises to wind down their portfolios by 15 percent each year until they reach $250 billion by 2018. At the end of the first quarter, Fannie’s mortgage-related investment portfolio dropped to $332.6 billion, a 3.6 percent decline from December 2015. The biggest drop was in the GSE’s non-agency MBS holdings, which fell 21.3 percent in the first quarter to just $13.3 billion, roughly one tenth the amount held back in the heyday of the subprime and Alt A MBS markets. Fannie plans...[Includes one data table]

Among the government-sponsored enterprises’ holdings of nonprime mortgages, non-agency mortgage-backed securities are declining much more quickly than purchased/guaranteed mortgages, according to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The combined nonprime MBS holdings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac declined by 9.6 percent during the first quarter of 2016 compared with the end of 2015. The GSEs’ combined purchased/guaranteed holdings of subprime mortgages and Alt A mortgages declined by 4.1 percent in that time. Similar trends are evident on a yearly basis. MBS account...

Caliber Home Loans recently loosened the standards for one of its non-qualified mortgage products. The lender’s “Fresh Start” mortgage now allows loan-to-value ratios up to 85.0 percent, up from 80.0 percent. And private mortgage insurance isn’t...[Includes five briefs]

Although Fannie’s year-to-date issuance was off 8.4 percent from a year ago, it was still ahead of Ginnie through the first third of 2016.

Fannie’s guaranty fee income for single-family and multifamily segments nudged up 0.9 percent from the fourth quarter, while Freddie’s was up 0.4 percent.

PHH said in a new SEC filing: “We will not be pursuing our previously communicated acquisition strategy at this time..."

G-fees – which have been rising in recent years – are ultimately paid by borrowers.

Is the end near for servicing writedowns? Hedging marks?

Although several high-profile, publicly traded nonbank servicers are having a tough time turning a profit, non-depository institutions continued to build market share in mortgage servicing during the first quarter of 2016, a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking reveals. On the whole, mortgage servicing is somewhat stagnant. The top 50 servicers as of the end of March managed a combined portfolio of $7.266 trillion, down very slightly from the previous quarter. Servicing tied to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities managed a humble 0.2 percent gain in the first quarter, and the non-agency MBS market is still in the doldrums. It remains...[Includes two data tables]

The House of Representatives last week unanimously approved legislation that would require federal agencies to accept private flood insurance for residential properties if it complies with state insurance laws and regulations. Approved by a vote of 419-0, H.R. 2901, the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act, would remove regulatory barriers and clarify Congress’ intent to encourage the use of private flood insurance to compete with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Specifically, the bill lifts certain federal restrictions placed on insurance companies and gives states more flexibility to license and regulate private flood insurance. Under current law, homeowners are limited...