Some experts now say Federal Reserve purchases of agency MBS will fall to zero by September.

Most bank holdings of residential MBS are in available-for-sale accounts that require fair-value accounting, which led to a rare decline in the industry's portfolio in the first quarter. (Includes two data charts.)

Ginnie and FHFA are working together to set capital and liquidity requirements for nonbanks. Separately, Ginnie is working to allow for changes at the loan level and FHFA is considering reforms involving the Federal Home Loan Banks.

The Mortgage Bankers Association has asked the SEC to review the margin requirements in Rule 4210, arguing that lenders use to-be-announced securities to hedge their interest rate exposure rather than for speculation purposes.

It could be years before the Fed sells any of its holdings of agency MBS, according to John Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Issuing a non-agency MBS isn’t cheap; trade groups push for data, timeline if GSEs change credit scoring models; Ginnie reiterates its buyout policy.

Volume increased in the risk-transfer deals issued by Freddie and Fannie. However, unpaid principal balance on the covered pools declined. (Includes data chart.)

Ginnie Mae President Alanna McCargo wants small banks, credit unions and community development financial institutions to have access to the Ginnie securitization program.

Small lenders may be able to avoid some of the margin requirements by diversifying the pool of broker-dealers they use for hedging.

The nation’s two largest “mREITs,” Annaly and AGNC, continued to shrink their securities holdings in the first quarter, but with the Fed moving to the sidelines, that trend could be ending.