The leaders of the mortgage REIT world posted third-quarter results this week. Bottom line: Strong earnings and common shares that continue to pay a nice dividend.

By raising the income limit for RefiNow and RefiPossible, FHFA has upped the pool of borrowers eligible for a refi by nearly a third. What that does to prepayment speeds depends on the uptake of the programs.

Federally insured depositories often source their CRA loans via nonbanks and an investment banking trading desk. But what if nonbanks must suddenly adhere to CRA standards of their own?

Three topics — ESG, COVID and George Floyd — dominated the past year in the mortgage market and will shape the GSEs’ future.

Investors bought more MBS in September than August if trading numbers are any indication. Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Fed and the question of tapering.

The central bank may reduce its purchase of new agency MBS, but experts say it’s unlikely to allow current holdings to roll off. That reinvestment strategy means the Fed’s post-taper purchases could approach $60 billion in MBS a month.

Depending on how you count, Fannie/Freddie loan guarantees in 2022 will either generate almost $30 billion in lifetime savings for the federal government or result in a $5.5 billion loss.

Total non-agency MBS issuance was up only 3.6% from the second to the third quarter, and securitization of RPL and NPL deals fell sharply. But prime RMBS production surged dramatically.

The Fed will stop being the hog at the MBS trough, one of these days. Ramifications and opportunities for other buyers?

Investors purchase REIT stocks because of the dividends they provide. But with rates heading higher, which firms should be avoided?