Industry advisors and lobbyists hope they can move the implementation date for lower GSE loan limits deep into the second quarter, but they also realize they cannot forestall it completely.
Some lenders have vowed to close loans without IRS verifications, filling the void by asking for additional and in-depth documentation – but only on retail-sources mortgages.
Starting in 2014, the FHLB will purchase conventional, conforming fixed-rate mortgages and FHA/VA products from its members, but some of the product will be funneled to Fannie Mae via the MPF Xtra program.
Certain members of the U.S. Senate want to see some type of analysis from FHFA on what impact lower loan limits will have on the housing and mortgage markets.
A steady decline in single-family agency MBS issuance led to a 13.8 percent decline in MBS and ABS production during the third quarter of 2013, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis. A total of $388.53 billion of single-family MBS were issued during the third quarter, a 15.7 percent drop from the previous three-month period. It marked the lowest quarterly output for single-family MBS since the second quarter of last year, although year-to-date production was still up 9.0 percent from the first nine months of 2012. Every component in the residential MBS market was...[Includes three data pages]
Reforms seen in the new era of non-agency jumbo MBS issuance aren’t enough to prompt significant investor participation, according to John Gidman, president of the Association of Institutional Investors. At a hearing this week by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Gidman and others called for a number of changes to the non-agency market. “The fundamental structural and process weaknesses for non-agency residential MBS securitization have not been fixed in the current private-label securities market,” Gidman said. “The issuance process itself is very opaque. Ratings continue to be shopped, issuers are still incentivized to water down representations and warranties, and continued variability in structures and documentation make the market more challenging for investors and raise the costs of funding.” He acknowledged...
Clayton Holdings has long cooperated with members of the Residential MBS Working Group, but a change in personnel at the interagency group and a wide-ranging subpoena have strained the due diligence firm’s relationship with prosecutors, according to court filings. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, on behalf of the RMBS Working Group, is seeking an order to compel Clayton to cooperate with a subpoena issued in early July. The subpoena relates to an investigation into 16 firms that participated in the issuance and underwriting of non-agency MBS from 2005 through 2007. The RMBS Working Group is looking into possible violations of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act. The subpoena essentially seeks...
With some federal agencies effectively downsized by the government shutdown, Ginnie Mae continues to guarantee MBS, but it’s unclear how long it can go on with limited staff and commitment authority. Under the shutdown contingency plan drafted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ginnie has limited its operations to key functions fulfill its obligations to issuers and investors. The agency said MBS guaranties would be honored during the shutdown. While the rest of the workforce is on furlough, some 44 essential salaried employees will continue...
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