Price reduction and improving economic factors helped push FHA volume up in the first quarter of 2015, according to an Inside FHA/VA Lending analysis of agency data. Production of forward single-family mortgages insured by FHA increased by 12.3 percent in the first quarter to $39.5 billion from $35.2 billion in the prior quarter, powered by a sharp uptick in refinances. FHA’s total refi business jumped from $2.29 billion in endorsements in February, a month of record snowstorms in the Northeast, to $8.15 billion in March. Total FHA forward-mortgage business rose by 83.8 percent from February, data showed. FHA streamline refis rose a whopping 144.1 percent quarter-over-quarter while conventional-to-FHA refis jumped 29.2 percent over the same period. Falling purchase loan volume, which was the reason for the overall decline in FHA originations last year, spilled over into ... [2 charts]

Ellington believes that one of the biggest opportunities for the company will be products geared toward self-employed borrowers.

The three latest deals have a combined UPB of $820 million. Successful votes to terminate servicers of non-agency MBS are uncommon...

In a recent 10-K filing Ocwen disclosed that on April 30, 2015 it announced agreements with the GSEs to sell portfolios of non-performing loan servicing rights.

Also, the mortgage cannot have been acquired through securitization, nor can it have certain verboten features.

CEO Dan Perl noted that the lender will surpass $30 million of fundings in May, a record for the company.

Five Oaks' management noted that the REIT has better control of its jumbo MBS exposure since the company issued its own security in April.

A unique stop-advance feature included in the jumbo MBS issued by Redwood Trust late last week was viewed favorably by investors, according to officials at the real estate investment trust. “We are pleased not only with the pricing execution on this transaction, but also with the level and depth of AAA investor interest,” Marty Hughes, Redwood’s CEO, said this week. The $356.45 million Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2015-2 included...

One advisor reminded us that in the world mortgage M&A many potential deals go south...

Fun fact: First Republic was the only bank among the top five contributors to jumbo MBS issued in the first quarter.