Applications for refinances decreased slightly last week compared with the week prior, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, as average interest rates on mortgages increased during the week.
While FHA forward mortgages continued to be the biggest source of collateral, the VA program actually produced a bigger gain, 42.4 percent, from the first to the second quarter.
A new tax policy proposed by the Internal Revenue Service in April aimed at corporate “earnings stripping” tax avoidance maneuvers could cause significant problems for the MBS and ABS markets, according to industry participants. The proposed rule from the IRS under Section 385 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 would treat related-party debt as equity, aiming to reduce internal restructurings at foreign corporations by establishing new taxes. The Structured Finance Industry Group’s Tax Policy Committee submitted...
The non-agency MBS market shriveled up and nearly blew away in the second quarter of 2016 as new issuance totaled only $6.96 billion, according to an Inside MBS & ABS analysis. New production tumbled 17.0 percent from the first quarter of the year, which failed to top the $10 billion mark in issuance. The second-quarter total was the lowest output since the end of 2013, when just $6.11 billion of new non-agency MBS was produced. While there was a stiff decline in re-securitization activity from the first quarter, scratch-and-dent securitizations of nonperforming, re-performing and other dinged-up assets increased...[Includes two data tables]
The secondary market for mortgages with TRID mortgage-disclosure errors has stayed fairly constant the past few months, but there are new signs the business is getting a bit long in the tooth. According to interviews with investors and brokerage firms involved in the scratch-and-dent market, the auction of mortgages with disclosure problems (of all varying degrees) continues, but fewer sales are closing. Mid America Mortgage, Addison, TX, one of the most active buyers in the space, said...
MBS prepayment speeds are likely to climb higher because of falling mortgage interest rates, but industry analysts are undecided about how big a factor borrower burn-out will be. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its refinance loan application index climbed to 2575.9 in the week ending July 1, its highest level since early 2015. The index fell last week to 2295.8. The average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate conventional conforming mortgage fell...