Purchase-mortgage originations in 2016 hit their highest level since before the housing market crash, including a solid uptick in first-time buyer activity, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. Revised estimates show a total of $1.021 trillion of home-purchase mortgages were originated in 2016, a 10.5 percent increase from the previous year. It marked the biggest volume of purchase-money lending since 2006 even though the purchase share of new originations declined. That’s...[Includes five data tables]

SFIG Executive Director Richard Johns suggested that instead of removing requirements for risk-retention, policymakers could provide capital relief for issuers that retain risk on their securities, rewarding “good behavior.”

Fannie Mae cut its portfolio of Fannie MBS by 42.9 percent last year...

However, GSE reform will require a bipartisan effort and already other priorities are developing…

Annaly padded its lead as the top REIT MBS investor, thanks, in part, to its acquisition of Hatteras Financial in the third quarter of 2016…

Challenges include higher interest rates, which are translating into lower production volume in 2017…

The nonagency/nonprime MBS market is expected to get some attention at the SFIG show, but not much…

For the full year, GSE seller repurchases totaled just $1.101 billion, a record annual low…

With Republicans now in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, Hensarling plans to make even more cuts to regulations for rating services.

Piper analyst Kevin Barker and his team estimate that so far in 1Q17, the average refi volume is down 26 percent from fourth quarter levels.