A draft of legislation unveiled this week by Sen. Richard Shelby, R-AL, includes provisions that would support portfolio lenders and real estate investments trusts, among a myriad of other issues. Support from Democrats for some of the provisions in the draft has been tepid, and it’s not clear that President Obama would sign a bill without changes. The Financial Regulatory Improvement Act of 2015 aims to “improve access to credit and reduce the level of risk in our financial system,” ...
Ellington Financial plans to start acquiring non-qualified mortgages by early summer, according to officials at the nonbank. While Ellington has always seen value in the non-agency market, to this point the company has largely focused its non-agency investments on mortgage-backed securities and other structured-finance products. Laurence Penn, Ellington’s president and CEO, said the nonbank signed its first flow agreement for non-QMs at the end of the first quarter. “Consistent with ...
Performance of subprime mortgages continues to improve as the volume of loans outstanding slowly declines. Some $320.0 billion in subprime mortgages were outstanding as of the end of the first quarter of 2015, according to estimates by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Volume was down 4.2 percent from the previous quarter and 16.0 percent from the first quarter of 2014. The total past-due rate for subprime mortgages fell to 17.60 percent ... [Includes one data chart]
A sharp divide in the decline of nonprime mortgages held by the government-sponsored enterprises persists, according to a new analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Holdings of nonprime mortgage-backed securities are down much more sharply at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than the GSEs’ holdings of purchased or guaranteed nonprime loans. Fannie and Freddie held a combined $50.78 billion in nonprime MBS as of the end of ... [Includes one data chart]
Ocwen Financial filed its annual report for 2014 this week and noted that its auditors decided against requiring a “going concern” qualification for the nonbank. “We believe the filing of our annual report, without a qualification as to our ability to operate as a going concern, is additional evidence that our strategy to strengthen our compliance management system, strengthen the service we provide to our customers and improve our financial stability is working and that confidence ...
Two types of shared-appreciation transactions are being touted as beneficial to borrowers, either allowing them to buy homes at below-market prices or receive advanced payment for expected appreciation. Analysts at the Urban Institute note that nonprofit housing associations and municipalities offer shared-appreciation programs that can make homes more affordable for first-time buyers, people with bad credit or buyers who lack the necessary downpayment or income to ...
Impac Mortgage Holdings increased its originations of non-qualified mortgages in the first quarter of 2015. The nonbank had $11.3 million in originations of its AltQM products during the quarter, topping the $7.0 million in non-QM production Impac had in the second half of 2014. Underwriting standards for jumbo mortgages continued to loosen in April, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Underwriting for jumbos has loosened almost every month since ... [Includes three briefs]
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]
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