Private mortgage insurers saw spirited competition in 2015, both within their own ranks and against a surge in government-insured products, especially the FHA program, according to a new market analysis and ranking by Inside Mortgage Finance. Private MIs wrote coverage on an estimated $219.64 billion in mortgage originations last year, a 23.2 percent increase from 2014. The estimate includes $315 million in coverage on Home Affordable Refinance Program loans provided by the three MIs in run-off mode. The private MI business surge included...[Includes three data tables]
The House of Representatives last week passed legislation containing a provision to eliminate the cap on VA loan guaranty limits. Sponsored by Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-OH, the “Veterans Employment, Education, and Healthcare Improvement Act,” H.R. 3016, included an amendment added by Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-NY, in committee. The amendment would eliminate the maximum loan amount the VA will guarantee, allowing more veterans to purchase homes in high-cost areas such as San Francisco and San Jose, CA. The bill was agreed to...
Activity in the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac refinance program for underwater borrowers continued to decline in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The FHFA said the two government-sponsored enterprises securitized 21,079 loans originated under the Home Affordable Refinance Program during the fourth quarter. That was down 18.4 percent from the previous quarter and brought year-to-date production to just 110,113 loans, a 48.2 percent decline from 2014. HARP accounted...[Includes one data table]
But is the mega-lender advocating for consumers or is it another bold attempt to gain market share and thus increase profits? Industry consultant David Lykken noted: “Quicken’s being smart – they’re using their leverage.”
Agency MBS backed entirely by “conforming jumbo” mortgages was one of the fastest-growing sectors of the market last year, but traditional 30-year fixed-rate mortgages remained the overwhelming favorite, according to a new analysis by Inside MBS & ABS. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issued $21.17 billion of jumbo-only MBS in 2015, a 90.2 percent increase from the previous year. Ginnie Mae issuance of such pools was up even more, by 163.0 percent, last year. Conforming-jumbo loans are...[Includes two data tables]
Panelists speaking at a seminar on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac credit-risk transfers this week agreed that the program, while successful, could use some fine-tuning such as creating a deeper mortgage-insurance version and broader participation by real estate investment trusts. While REITS are active in credit risk transfers, their participation is small when compared to their role in non-agency MBS, said experts at the seminar sponsored by the Urban Institute and CoreLogic. Bill Roth, chief investment officer of Two Harbors, noted that REITs have purchased or retained the subordinate tranches in at least 60 percent of the non-agency MBS issued over the past three years, but just 2 percent of CRT deals issued by the government-sponsored enterprises as of July 2015. “REITs would love...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last year securitized just $14.40 billion of refinance mortgages with high loan-to-value ratios and no private mortgage insurance coverage, according to a new analysis by Inside MBS & ABS. That was down 51.7 percent from the total for 2014 and amounted to a drop in the bucket compared to the high-water mark for the Home Affordable Refinance Program back in 2012. The sharpest downturn was...[Includes two data tables]
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