A bipartisan group of members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee introduced legislation this week to reform the government-sponsored enterprises. However, industry participants and analysts predict that Congress is unlikely to pass GSE reform anytime soon. S. 1217, the “Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act,” would wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac within five years of passage and replace their functions with a new government entity ...

For the past two years, Bank of America has been the poster child of legacy servicing sales, but it may soon have some company. According to industry advisors who specialize in the mortgage servicing rights market, JPMorgan Chase and a few other large banks with seasoned portfolios are developing “deal teams” to explore their options. Chase’s name has surfaced from time to time as a select seller of legacy product. But it also has been a selective buyer of servicing, including the purchase last fall of $70 billion in rights from MetLife, which was closing out its interest in the mortgage business. A spokeswoman for Chase declined...

Rep. Watt’s slightly more than two-pages of prepared testimony was long on biographical detail but lacking on mortgage-finance specifics.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is seeking additional authority from Congress to transfer FHA mortgage servicing in order to facilitate loss mitigation. The change would allow the FHA to require specific actions when a servicer is underperforming or has a low score on HUD’s Tiered Ranking System, including the transfer of servicing to an FHA-designated special servicer or requiring a servicer to enter into a sub-servicing agreement. With expanded powers, the FHA also may require a servicer to engage a third-party to assist in loss mitigation services. Such authority would enable the FHA to better avoid losses due to poor servicing and, thus, protect the MMI Fund, HUD said. Testifying before a Senate appropriations subcommittee, FHA Commissioner Carol Galante noted...

The secondary market for residential servicing rights remains robust.

JPM is losing certain staffers to Freedom Mortgage. Meanwhile, is Art Ringwald contemplating a return to mortgage banking?

Some non-agency participants have called for an immediate return to conforming loan limits of $417,000, which were in place in 2008 before Congress established “emergency” loan limits for high-cost areas.

The recent rate spike is causing concerns in the jumbo market, particularly for issuers.

“Confusion and uncertainty around representations and warranties standards continue to cause lenders to add their own overlays to the existing GSE credit standards,” said MBA vice chairman Bill Cosgrove.

Are huge origination profits a thing of the past? Meanwhile, time is running out on the White House GSE petition.