Banks generally eased their lending standards for most types of residential mortgage loans in the first quarter of 2016, even as consumer demand for such credit increased, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest senior loan officer opinion survey. During the period ending March 31, a “moderate net fraction” of banks reported having eased standards on mortgages eligible for purchase by the government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while a similar number of institutions indicated they had eased standards on “qualified mortgage” and non-QM jumbo mortgages, as well as on QM non-jumbo, non-GSE-eligible and on non-QM, non-jumbo residential mortgage loans. At the same time, banks left...

Private shareholder lawsuits against the U.S. Treasury’s net worth sweep of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac profits are inching forward, including a squabble over the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s bid to consolidate several cases in one court. The Federal Housing Finance Agency said the proposed transfer would prevent future “copycat” cases and ensure a more consistent ruling across the board by having all of the cases heard in one court instead of scattered in different jurisdictions throughout the country. Private plaintiffs, including Tim Pagliara, director of shareholder group Investors Unite, filed...

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?