Impac Mortgage recently launched a suite of products that don’t meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s standards for qualified mortgages. The non-QMs are available via the correspondent channel and are aimed at prime borrowers. The lender refers to its offerings as “Alt QMs,” including a jumbo option, a program for loans slightly outside of agency guidelines and a program that purposefully excludes analysis of a borrower’s tax returns ...

Redwood Trust revved up its latest jumbo mortgage-backed security in a hurry with plans to issue a new deal that includes some loans that don’t meet standards for qualified mortgages. The deal also includes less than 100 percent due diligence. The weighted-average loan age on the $306.05 million Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2014-2 is 1.4 months, according to Kroll Bond Rating Agency. The latest issuance from JPMorgan Chase included mortgages that were ...

Credit Suisse plans to issue a $367.84 million jumbo mortgage-backed security, according to a preliminary term sheet obtained by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The deal is scheduled to close around July 30. While presale reports on CSMC Trust 2014-IVR3 have not been issued, Credit Suisse expects that the deal will have credit enhancement of 7.25 percent on the AAA-rated tranches, according to the term sheet. Some 56 percent of the mortgages ...

Jumbo borrowers in the market for mortgage financing often decide to work with the bank they already have a relationship with, according to new qualitative survey results from the Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey. Real estate agents participating in the survey were asked what factors drive an affluent homebuyer’s lender selection when opting for mortgage financing instead of an all-cash home purchase. “I’ve found they like to ...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s request for comments on whether to allow for a right to cure on debt-to-income ratio issues for qualified mortgages prompted the typical divisions between lenders and consumer advocates. Lenders suggest that borrowers would benefit from the adjustment to QM standards, while consumer advocates warn that the change would weaken QM protections and encourage sloppy underwriting. The 43 percent DTI ratio standard for ...

While originations of loans outside of standards for qualified mortgages appear limited thus far, lenders continue to flood into the non-QM market. And industry analysts suggest that the sector has plenty of room to grow, particularly if the government-sponsored enterprises exit conservatorship. W.J. Bradley announced this week that it’s offering a number of new non-agency mortgage products, including non-QMs for prime borrowers. “We have recognized ...

SunTrust Banks settled criminal allegations this month relating to activity under the Home Affordable Modification Program. The $320 million settlement marked the first time a HAMP servicer paid a monetary penalty under the program. To this point, penalties for violations of HAMP guidelines have been relatively lenient, with the harshest maneuver being a temporary stop in incentive payments from the program. However, an investigation led by ...

CORRECTION: The jumbo mortgage-backed securities issuers and underwriters ranking published in the July 4, 2014, issue of Inside Nonconforming Markets has been revised due to a data error. The revised chart is available online. Citigroup agreed to a $7.0 billion settlement this week with federal regulators and certain states related to non-agency MBS activities prior to 2009. Associate Attorney General Tony West suggested that ... [Includes seven briefs]

Mortgages with 620-679 credit scores accounted for more than half of FHA’s mortgage insurance business in the first quarter of 2014, up from 42.0 percent a year ago, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest quarterly report to Congress on the state of the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. Data showed FHA-insured mortgages in the 620-679 credit score range, a band typically identified with borrowers with slightly tainted credit, comprised 51.1 percent of new endorsements in the first quarter. This was up from 50.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013. FHA endorsements in the 620-plus category started trending upward in the first quarter of 2011, while endorsements in the 720-850 credit score range began a slow decline during the same period. The distribution of borrower credit scores continued the migration seen in previous quarters, though at a ...

One deficiency commonly noted in cases heard by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Mortgagee Review Board is failure by FHA lenders and servicers to implement and maintain a quality control (QC) plan. FHA’s focus on quality control has increased over the last couple of years as the agency strives to correct underwriting flaws that have contributed to the massive losses and severe depletion of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. After years of guiding and helping clients comply and cope with FHA regulations, requirements and enforcement actions, the Collingwood Group reports that a common QC-related mistake among FHA lenders is failure to document steps taken to correct deficiencies – or to take any corrective action at all. Tied to this issue is ...