As profit margins tighten in a softening origination market, more lenders are pondering a move into correspondent purchases, especially if the company is already table-funding mortgages in the wholesale channel.

Commercial banks and savings institutions added to their holdings of certain categories of non-mortgage ABS during the third quarter, but the industry’s total ABS portfolio was down slightly, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis of call-report data. [Includes three data charts.]

Prepayment speeds for recently issued Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac MBS in the to-be-announced market were closely aligned during the third quarter, according to a new report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The handling of a lawsuit relating to repurchase activity on pre-crisis non-agency MBS could have a wide-ranging impact on the industry, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Ginnie Mae’s recent focus on issuer liquidity and requirements for using subservicing vendors has received high marks from key industry factions and former regulators, but not everyone is happy.

Despite a robust economy, retailers are still floundering in a shifting business environment. Recent bankruptcy filings and store closures by retailers are posing risks to certain commercial MBS, according to several reports.

The strong demand for non-agency mortgage-backed securities this year looks to be tied to a number of factors, according to industry analysts. ICE Data Services, a firm that tracks non-agency MBS prices, noted that the sector has been helped by large settlements involving legacy non-agency MBS. And investors are more comfortable with the legal liability associated with non-qualified mortgages, prompting significant securitization of the loans. Issuers are also experimenting with ...

A coalition of industry groups strongly urged Senate leadership to bring up Michael Bright’s nomination for president of Ginnie Mae for a vote in the full Senate.

Residential MBS holdings of commercial banks and savings institutions declined 0.7 percent during the third quarter, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis of call-report data. [Includes two data charts.]

Ginnie Mae last week issued guidance tightening requirements for entities seeking to become approved issuers, including a credit evaluation to determine their financial strength as well as a new notification requirement for subservicers.