Manna from heaven? Roughly 87 percent of LOs expect residential production to exceed 2014’s volume…

Freddie Mac earned just $227 million in the fourth quarter, blaming the 90 percent sequential decline in profits on derivative losses of $3.4 billion. In a briefing with the media, Freddie CEO Don Layton went out of his way to explain that when interest rates eventually rise, the government-sponsored enterprise could benefit greatly. “I wish that accounting was more tied to economics but it’s not,” he said. Layton stressed...

Freddie Mac actually increased its monthly volume by 7.3 percent from December levels, but Fannie Mae’s production fell 15.6 percent.

Over the past few years there has been some debate about the role Fannie and Freddie play in the multifamily sector with GSE critics pushing for the two to scale back their involvement.

Ocwen’s massive servicing portfolio (roughly $377 billion in UPB) is worth more than the entire market capitalization rate of the company...

Broker-originated purchase mortgages pushed the envelope a little further, with an average credit score of 719.1 and an average DTI of 37.7.

From 2005 to 2007 homeowners converted an estimated $823 billion of home equity into swimming pools, cars, hospital bills and other uses. Of course, those days are long gone.

Roughly 18 current members of the FHLBanks are affected by the proposed ban, seven of which are mortgage real estate investment trusts.

A push to seize a few thousand underwater mortgages in the San Francisco area by eminent domain has likely run into a dead end for now, after a report from the City and County of San Francisco Controller’s Office discouraged local officials from pursuing the idea any further. “Precluding any participation from Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the use of eminent domain would seem to be an inviable option,” the document concluded. On Oct. 28, 2014, the Board of Supervisors issued...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issued $57.72 billion of single-family mortgage-backed securities in January, a 7.8 percent decline from the previous month, according to a new Inside The GSEs ranking and analysis.Freddie actually increased its monthly volume by 7.3 percent from December levels, but Fannie production fell 15.6 percent. It’s not unusual for GSE monthly trends to fluctuate; Fannie’s MBS issuance was up sharply in December. Freddie’s production was buoyed slightly by some $199.3 million of modified mortgages that were securitized last month. And it’s not surprising that the flow of purchase mortgages into GSE securities fell 14.4 percent in January, as the housing market hit a seasonal cooling.However, refinance activity was also [includes exclusive charts] ...