First Republic Bank maintained its lead as the top contributor to jumbo mortgage-backed securities issued in the first quarter of 2015, according to a ranking by Inside Nonconforming Markets. First Republic was identified as contributing $1.43 billion to jumbo MBS issued during the quarter, accounting for 31.0 percent of all jumbo MBS activity. The bank was also the top jumbo MBS contributor for all of 2014, with $1.46 billion in identified contributions ... [Includes one data chart]

Credit Suisse and Redwood Trust, the two dominant jumbo mortgage-backed securities issuers since 2010, continue to differ in terms of jumbo MBS offerings. While their latest deals include a number of similarities involving credit characteristics, the Redwood deal includes a relatively high share of non-qualified mortgages. The $356.45 million Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2015-2 received AAA ratings with credit enhancement of 5.00 percent on the senior tranche. That’s the lowest ...

Ocwen Financial’s renewed focus on the non-agency market includes plans for much higher margins than what the nonbank produced servicing and originating agency mortgages. However, officials at Ocwen stressed this week that the nonbank is not completely exiting the agency servicing market. Michael Bourque, an executive vice president and CFO at Ocwen, reported that the nonbank had a pre-tax income margin of 33 percent in 2012. By 2014, Ocwen’s margin had declined to ...

One thing investors and analysts look for is revenue growth and Ocwen Financial did not deliver. But at least all of its lending licenses are intact...

VA home loan guaranty originations nearly caught up with FHA single-family volume in the first quarter of 2015, thanks to a strong pickup in veteran loan refinancings, an Inside FHA/VA Lending analysis of Ginnie Mae issuance data indicated. Refi loans accounted for 58.5 percent of VA loans securitized in the first quarter compared to just 34.4 percent of FHA loans in Ginnie mortgage-backed securities. Approximately $35.0 billion in VA loans were securitized in Ginnie Mae MBS in the first quarter, up 5.5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2014. On the other hand, $35.6 billion of FHA loans were securitized during the same period, down 1.8 percent from the prior quarter. Of the VA loans in Ginnie MBS, $14.5 billion were purchase mortgages, mostly delivered through retail and loan correspondents. Brokers accounted for only 8.5 percent of the purchase loans. Securitized VA purchase volume, however, was ... [2 charts]

VA Clarifies HUD-1 Itemization Requirements. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Home Loan Guaranty office has issued guidance clarifying HUD-1 documentation and itemization requirements. The HUD-1 is a statement lenders furnish to borrowers at closing showing the actual settlement costs, including amounts paid to and by the settlement agent. The guidance clarifies and establishes VA policy regarding the following: itemization of lender/seller credits in the 200 series of the HUD-1; itemization of line 801 on the HUD-1; clarification that credits reflected on line 803 of the HUD-1 cannot offset allowable fees’ and itemization of line 802 on the HUD-1. Ginnie Mae Announces Update to Securitization of USDA Section 538 Multifamily Loans. Ginnie Mae has enhanced the securitization of rural, multifamily housing loans with a Department of Agriculture guaranty to make affordable housing available to ...

Mortgage lenders originated an estimated $360.0 billion of first-lien home loans during the first three months of 2015, lifting the market to its strongest quarterly volume since the third quarter of 2013, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking. The first-quarter total originations estimate does not include home-equity lending, which many lenders consider a separate business from traditional mortgage lending. In the past, Inside Mortgage Finance included home-equity in total originations, and those market estimates are not being revised. In 2014, about 5.7 percent of total originations ($71.0 billion) were home-equity loans. A number of survey participants have reported...[Includes two data charts]

Freddie Mac securitized just $12 million of purchase mortgages with loan-to-value ratios of 96 percent or 97 percent during the first quarter.

With the second quarter in full swing, several advisory firms are actively offering packages, including Interactive Mortgage Advisors, Phoenix Capital and The Prestwick Group.

But not to worry: the FHFA said the projections were mandated under the Dodd-Frank Act, cautioning that its estimate is just that, and not an expected outcome….