Correspondent-based lending operations are accounting for a growing share of the FHA and VA home loans pooled in Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside FHA/VA Lending. In fact, correspondent originations are the only production channel to see year-over-year growth in FHA and VA business through the first nine months of 2017. Retail and wholesale-broker production is down for both FHA and VA loans. Correspondent programs are most dominant in the FHA market, perhaps reflecting a preference among large producers to have recourse to a primary-market lender if the government later finds defects in how the loan was originated. Correspondents accounted for 48.7 percent of FHA loans pooled in Ginnie MBS during the first nine months of the year, up from 43.1 percent in all of 2016. Volume was up 1.7 percent from the ... [Charts]

A new net tangible benefit test for ensuring that a VA borrower benefits from a refinancing appears to be the obvious solution to the VA’s churning problem, according to analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML). Modeled after the FHA net tangible benefit test, the test seems to be a “foregone conclusion” for VA, analysts said. A Ginnie Mae/VA task force is currently working to resolve the problem, which is causing rapid prepayments in Ginnie mortgage-backed securities and raising serious doubts as to whether aggressive refinancing truly benefits veterans and servicemembers. “There is a critical need to ensure that veteran borrowers are not harmed by repeated refinancings through VA’s Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan program,” said Mortgage Bankers Association President/CEO David Stevens during a recent appearance before the House Financial Services Committee. IRRRLs, also referred to ...

Although Capital One is exiting single-family lending, the bank will continue to provide “specialized" multifamily financing...

While the concept was introduced more than a year ago, the specific duties for a deal agent remained a work in progress…

A guarantee fund would be developed to cover losses.

LendSure has financial backing from Ellington, among other investors…

Correspondents generated 38.8 percent of the market and posted the highest purchase-mortgage concentration, 77.8 percent.

According to Wallison: “There is nothing about the way the government has managed the housing finance system for the last 50 years that would remotely recommend a continuing government role.”

Tuesday’s panel discussion has been dubbed the “think tank” hearing because it includes representatives from the Urban Institute, the Milken Institute and American Enterprise Institute…

But while Fannie production slumped 11.5 percent, Freddie saw a robust 23.9 percent jump in new issuance in October…