Banks need incentives to issue non-agency mortgage-backed securities instead of holding loans in portfolio, according to boosters of the non-agency MBS market. The Federal Reserve’s monetary policies and capital requirements set by federal regulators have played a role in the shift from non-agency MBS issuance to banks holding loans in portfolio. “Historically, major banks were the predominant sponsors of private-label securities transactions, especially for 30-year jumbo fixed-rate loans, which are not a good asset/liability match for their balance sheets,” officials at Redwood Trust noted in a comment letter submitted to the Treasury Department. In June, the Treasury issued a request for comments on how to increase non-agency activity in the mortgage market. In 2013, only 4.8 percent of the estimated $272.0 billion in non-agency jumbo originations were included...

A top producing office in Arizona for one mid-sized lender is making it widely known that it would like to move the entire staff to another firm...

SIFMA noted that in recent years both the FHFA and Congress have increased the GSEs’ guarantee fees in an effort to reduce their market share and make non-agency MBS issuance more competitive.

Redwood looks to build on the success it had including non-QMs in a jumbo MBS.

Officials at Ocwen Financial announced late last week that the company plans to use its clean-up call option on loans backing vintage non-agency MBS that it services. Officials see strong profits in paying off non-agency MBS investors at par and then liquidating real estate owned properties whose loans were included in non-agency MBS. “The opportunity results from the arbitrage of the underlying loans in REO being worth more than the securities,” William Erbey, Ocwen’s executive chairman, said during the servicer’s earnings call for the second quarter of 2014. “In other words, the whole is worth less than the sum of the parts.” He said...

Morgan Stanley is set to issue its first jumbo mortgage-backed security since the financial crisis.

The Structured Finance Industry Group issued the first of its proposed standards for non-agency mortgage-backed securities.

RPM Mortgage is offering non-QMs for self-employed borrowers and recent retirees.

The New York Department of Financial Services’ exam of Ocwen Financial has expanded into a force-placed insurance deal with Altisource Portfolio Solutions.

Efforts to reform the non-agency market may be gathering momentum as the Structured Finance Industry Group is set to reveal its preliminary recommendations for changes to non-agency mortgage-backed securities and comments on the sector’s reform are due to the Treasury Department shortly. Industry participants have plenty of suggestions for how to fix the market, but any revival looks to be years away. On Aug. 4, the SFIG will release “green papers” as part of its Project RMBS 3.0 initiative ...