A number of lenders announced improvements to their investment-property mortgage programs. Verus simplified its offerings, Velocity launched a new product and Civic entered the correspondent channel.

Fix-and-flip loans are offering attractive returns to some non-agency players even as others are reducing their exposure to the market, citing concerns about slowing home-price appreciation.

Fitch has proposed adjustments to its non-agency MBS rating criteria that would levy penalties related to natural disaster risk. The impact of the proposal will largely be offset by other adjustments, according to the rating service.

Chase and Chimera are set to issue separate non-agency MBS backed by mortgages for investment properties, following similar deals from a handful of other firms.

Maxex recently completed a round of funding, taking the amount of capital it has raised since 2012 to more than $90 million. The company connects buyers and sellers of jumbo mortgages.

The trade group is urging the CFPB to allow jumbos to receive qualified mortgage status even if the loans have debt-to-income ratios greater than 43%. The pending expiration of the QM patch has also prompted a back-and-forth among think tanks.

FHFA Director Mark Calabria plans to take steps to help non-agency market players better compete with the government-sponsored enterprises. However, lowering conforming loan limits isn’t part of the plan.