Ginnie Mae continued to lead the growth in agency single-family MBS outstanding during the first quarter of 2018, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis. [Includes three data charts.]

With loan production of non-qualified mortgages continuing to gather a head of steam, Wall Street financiers, conduits and warehouse lenders increasingly are taking a keen interest in the sector.

The average daily trading volume in agency MBS climbed to $226.1 billion in May, the second consecutive monthly increase, according to figures compiled by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

ABS issuers are boosting the quality of marketplace loans in new deals due to rising delinquency rates, but not enough to convince Fitch Ratings that such issuance deserves AAA ratings.

The latest prime non-agency mortgage-backed security from Flagstar Bank will differ somewhat from two similar deals issued by the bank this year, according to presale reports released this week. The share of mortgages subject to due diligence was adjusted and there will be a higher share of mortgages in the deal that are eligible for sale to the government-sponsored enterprises. The pending $466.93 million Flagstar Mortgage Trust 2018-4 follows deals from the bank that closed in ...

TIAA and Angel Oak Companies look likely to price separate new MBS before the end of the second quarter, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. JPMorgan Chase is also preparing an MBS that could differ from its typical issuance. Merrill Lynch agreed to a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week regarding non-agency mortgage-backed security trading from 2009 through 2012 ... [Includes two briefs]

Reverse mortgage lenders started out strong in the first three month of 2018 with a 19.2 percent increase in Home Equity Conversion Mortgage production from the previous period. HECM endorsements totaled $5.4 billion in the first quarter, with purchase reverse loans accounting for the bulk of originations, 81.9 percent. First quarter production was up 18.5 percent from the same period last year. Meanwhile, HECM mortgage-backed securities issuance totaled $2.97 billion for the quarter, down from $3.25 billion in the prior quarter, Ginnie Mae data showed. The top five HECM originators in sequential order – American Advisors Group, Reverse Mortgage Funding, One Reverse Mortgage, Liberty Home Equity Solutions, and Synergy One Lending – accounted for $1.66 billion, or 30.8 percent, of total production during the first quarter. American Advisors maintained its top ranking with $841.4 million of HECM loans, which ... [Charts]

Issuance of mortgage securities backed by USDA loans dropped during the first three months of 2018. Approximately $4.03 billion of rural housing loans with a USDA guarantee were delivered in Ginnie Mae MBS during the first quarter, down 18.3 percent from the previous quarter. Agency data also showed an 11.7 percent decline in USDA securitization volume from the same period a year ago. Rural housing loans accounted for 1.5 percent of all loans securitized in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae pools and 2.8 percent of loans with private or government-backed mortgage insurance. Purchase loans comprised the bulk of USDA loans that were delivered into Ginnie MBS pools. PennyMac knocked Freedom Mortgage out of first place with a total of $753.3 million in securitized USDA loans despite a 10.4 percent decline in production. Freedom Mortgage accounted for $523.3 million of USDA loans pooled in ... [Charts]

A strong surge of purchase-mortgage business helped lift Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac production of single-family mortgage-backed securities in May, according to a new Inside The GSEs analysis. Credit characteristics in May production were relatively unchanged, however. The two GSEs securitized $65.63 billion of single-family MBS last month, a 6.8 percent increase from April’s volume. Most of the gain came from a 23.6 percent jump in purchase-mortgage business as home buying season kicked into gear. Refinance volume was up slightly, and neither ... [Includes two data charts.]

For years, values on Ginnie Mae mortgage servicing rights have lagged behind the prices paid for Fannie Mae and Freddie product, but finally it appears the government market is catching up.