Bond investing giant Pacific Investment Management Co. once again has its ears open for potential acquisitions in the residential finance space, including mortgage franchises or “assets,” according to investment bankers and sources close to the company. These officials, who spoke under the condition their names not be used, identified a handful of acquisitions that have been presented to PIMCO, including a nonbank based in the Charlotte, NC, area. As Inside Mortgage Finance went to press this week PIMCO – and the target acquisition – could not be reached for comment. As a technical matter, the investments are being made...

Vintage Alt A mortgages continue to cause losses at the GSEs.

“It’s clear from this survey and our discussions with bankers that TRID compliance remains a significant concern,” said ABA's Bob Davis.

While industry participants continue to call for formal guidance from the CFPB regarding TRID defects, some predict that further help is unlikely at this time…

The rating service noted that originations of bank-statement loans tend to be non-qualified mortgages for self-employed borrowers.

At the ABS Vegas conference the deal agent concept was touted by Monique Rollins, deputy assistant secretary at the Treasury Department, as a significant structural reform for the non-agency MBS market.

One analyst told IMFnews: “I don’t stay up until four a.m., trying to figure out Ocwen anymore.”

Ocwen continues to face regulatory issues, including constraints on growth via acquisitions. However, Fitch recently upgraded a number of the firm’s servicer ratings from a level 4 to a level 3-minus with a “stable” outlook.

As IMFnews went to press Monday, investors were once again punishing the stock, with shares trading down 20 percent on the day to $4.95. Its all-time high is $60 a share.

Ditech increased its servicing portfolio to $266.7 billion from $265.4 billion in 3Q, and said it is pursuing “potential business opportunities,” including plans to pursue more subservicing contracts.