The relatively strong mortgage origination volume late in 2016 propped up production levels in all three major channels, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. Mortgage brokers saw the biggest decline in volume during the fourth quarter, as production slipped 6.7 percent from the previous three-month cycle to an estimated $56.0 billion. But even with the late-year decline, the wholesale-broker market had...[Includes four data tables]

The U.S. Treasury doesn’t get to invest in the booming stock market, but its stake in two guarantors of mortgage-backed securities is making a killing. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac posted $9.9 billion in combined profits for the fourth quarter of 2016, and $20.2 billion for the full year. It was up 16.1 percent from 2015 and the fourth best year ever for the two government-sponsored enterprises. Their all-time high was...

The disclosure comes on the heels of a recent legal settlement in California that paves the way for Ocwen to buy servicing rights once again...

Market watchers must be wondering just how long investors will continue to believe in the GSE “bet” made by hedge fund manager Pershing Square Capital Management.

Bank holdings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pass-through securities were up a more modest 0.6 percent from the third quarter…

Writing for the majority, the Appeals Court notes: “We hold that the stockholders’ statutory claims are barred by the Recovery Act’s strict limitation on judicial review …"

In a conference call with reporters Friday morning, Fannie CEO Tim Mayopoulos noted: “While we expect to remain profitable on an annual basis for the foreseeable future, due to our declining and limited capital reserves and the potential for significant volatility in our financial results, we could experience a net worth deficit in a future quarter.”

Fannie Mae CEO Timothy Mayopoulos is setting the table for challenging times ahead, issuing caution about the GSE’s dwindling capital position…

Banks and savings institutions maintained their healthy appetite for agency single-family MBS during the fourth quarter of 2016, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS ranking and analysis. Banks and thrifts held a record $1.254 trillion of agency MBS, up 2.2 percent from the end of the third quarter and an increase of 12.4 percent from a year ago. The biggest gains were in holdings of Ginnie Mae MBS, which also happen to be the fastest-growing component of the agency securities market. Bank and thrift holdings of Ginnie pass-throughs jumped...[Includes two data tables]

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s denial of favorable capital treatment to a non-agency MBS issued by JPMorgan Chase last year could hinder efforts aimed at convincing banks to return to the non-agency MBS market, according to industry analysts. JPMorgan Chase issued two unique non-agency MBS last year with a total unpaid principal balance of $4.53 billion. The so-called portfolio risk-transfer deals accounted for a whopping 48.6 percent of the prime non-agency MBS issued in 2016. Chase packaged...