Comments are due on Friday from working group members that have been participating in the effort.

Mortgage lenders that have excelled at originating refinance loans posted steady and improving originations during the first quarter of 2016 while competitors that are more focused on the purchase-mortgage market generally saw declining production levels. A new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking shows that first-lien mortgage originations totaled an estimated $380.0 billion during the first three months of 2016, down slightly from the fourth quarter of last year. That estimate could change as more information becomes available, especially from major nonbank lenders that have not yet reported first-quarter originations data. Agency indicators were...[Includes two data tables]

Lone Star was the first firm to issue a non-agency MBS backed predominantly by non-QMs...

Having agreed to pay billions of dollars in damages for underwriting allegedly faulty FHA mortgages, the nation’s megabanks could be pondering a better idea: Creating a portfolio product that accomplishes the same task as a low-downpayment, government-backed loan. According to industry officials who claim to have knowledge of the situation, Wells Fargo and at least one other top-five ranked lender are working on such a concept, but it remains to be seen whether they will ever get there, and if they do, whether such a creation can amass any type of volume. When asked whether Wells was working on an FHA-like portfolio loan, a spokesman did not dismiss...

The performance of mortgages originated in recent years remains strong, pushing down delinquency rates across loan types. However, liquidation timelines for certain loans have hit new highs recently as servicers continue to work on foreclosing mortgages that went into default years ago. As of the end of March, the overall delinquency rate on mortgages declined to 4.08 percent, according to Black Knight Financial Services. The delinquency rate declined by 12.4 percent compared with March 2015 and is at its lowest point since March 2007. The foreclosure pre-sale inventory rate was...

Will President Trump (if elected) tax mortgage servicers that use offshore workers?

While S&P will rate new non-agency MBS without formal guidance from the CFPB, the rating service noted that the market’s handling of TRID issues is fluid...

Blackstone continues to expand its presence in the mortgage industry on several fronts. In late January, it bought Interactive Mortgage Advisors, a Denver-based servicing advisory firm.

On the subject of delayed closings, one agent had this to say: “All of my closings are taking two to four weeks longer to close, and there has been a lot of confusion…”

Pricing on the deal was good, but investor fears rule the day.