Large parts of the Bay Area and Southern California qualify for the top high-cost limit, while other California markets such as San Diego ($546,250) and Sacramento ($474,950) have intermediate high-cost limits.

Five Oaks Investment, a publicly traded REIT, plans to acquire mortgages from jumbo lenders on a flow and bulk basis.

The letter to members of Congress is notable for which trade groups didn't sign on, including the American Bankers Association and Mortgage Bankers Association.

Loan standards are not loosening on conventional mortgages, but in the jumbo space the story is entirely different.

The secondary market for mortgage servicing rights is starting to look a bit frothy, so much so that many bulk offerings today garner upwards of 12 bidders per auction. A year ago just a handful of investors showed up. But that isn’t deterring Michael Lau, CEO of Pingora Asset Management, who earlier this year raised $500 million to buy MSRs. Lau said Pingora is plowing ahead with its acquisition plans, careful not to overpay while concentrating on “flow” deals on new originations. “We’re actively doing...

Two years ago, no megabank in its right mind would dare originate a jumbo mortgage without asking for at least a 20 percent downpayment – unless the borrower was a special client of the company’s wealth management division. Today, it’s a different story. As refi volumes begin to dwindle, a handful of large banks are loosening their jumbo underwriting standards, allowing for lower downpayment requirements and higher debt-to-income ratios. Wells Fargo has been offering...

Stonegate Mortgage plans to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last week. Meanwhile, stock prices for other mortgage-related companies that priced IPOs this year have declined. Stonegate is unique among mortgage company IPOs this year in that it’s not a real estate investment trust. Three of the four mortgage-related IPOs that have priced in 2013 have been for REITs and the other was a nonbank affiliated with a REIT. Stonegate was founded...

Maxine Waters is working on a GSE reform bill that likely will garner strong industry support, unlike Rep. Hensarling's PATH Act.

The city council’s favorable vote represents a rare notch in the win column for MRP, which has suffered numerous defeats in local jurisdictions across the nation, likely at a substantial loss to the firm’s financial backers.

Two Harbors revealed that it sold several billions of dollars’ worth of agency MBS in the third quarter as the assets became less attractive with rising rates. The proceeds will be used to buy MSRs.