Home-equity lending gained modest momentum during the fourth quarter of 2014, although the outstanding supply of second-lien mortgage debt continued its seven-year decline. Mortgage lenders originated an estimated $21 billion of home-equity loans, including home-equity lines of credit and closed-end second mortgages, during the fourth quarter. That was up 5.0 percent from the third quarter and brought full-year production ... [Includes one data chart]

The headline might sound promising, but keep in mind that during the housing boom of 2003 to 2007, the industry averaged nearly $340 billion a year in home-equity originations.

Impac said it will originate more than $2.0 billion of all mortgages in 1Q15, almost double what it produced the previous quarter.

Although RoundPoint isn’t taking any questions regarding a possible sale of the company, it recently published a statement regarding its co-issuance and subservicing businesses.

As loan quality improves, it endangers the job prospects for "high-touch" servicing specialists.

Eric Rosenzweig, principal at Stone Point Capital, sees many business plans from people who want to get into the non-qualified-mortgage space.

Urban Institute's Karan Kaul noted that some banks have opted to keep mortgages that are eligible for sale to the GSEs.

Ocwen actually received the highest marks possible across its performance review for 4Q, but Treasury said the servicer’s “moderate” improvement rating was due to a lack of progress in implementing previously identified improvements.

Loan Modification Trial Payment Plans for Forward Mortgages. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced requirements for trial plan duration, required signatures, and reporting for trial payment-plan agreements, and the conditions under which FHA deems a TPP to have failed.Lenders must implement the requirements in Mortgagee Letter 2015-07 for all TPPs offered to borrowers on or after June 1, 2015. FHA Publishes Additional Sections of HUD Single-Family Policy Handbook. The FHA has published additional sections for the SF Handbook, including the following: Doing Business with FHA – Lenders and Mortgagees Doing Business with FHA – Other participants in FHA Transactions – Appraisers; Quality Control, Oversight and Compliance – Lenders and Mortgagees; Quality Control Oversight, and Compliance – Other Participants in FHA Transactions – Appraisers ...

Returns on agency MBS are “uninspiring,” according to Thomas Siering, president and CEO of Two Harbors Investment, which has worked to diversify its assets, including putting an emphasis on jumbo conduit activities and commercial MBS. “We have a diversified business model and our operating platform obviates the need to jack up leverage to generate some return in the agency space because we think we can get attractive returns in ...