Nationstar Mortgage issued a $158 million non-agency mortgage-backed security this week with prime Alt A mortgages that have seasoned for an average of 11 years, according to a rating report from Standard & Poor’s. The AAA tranche had credit enhancement of 8.60 percent. Mortgages in the MBS had low or no documentation and 43.7 percent were cash-out refinances. S&P said 82.8 percent of the mortgages haven’t been delinquent in the last 24 months and the current ... [Includes one brief]

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has released a final rule defining a “qualified mortgage” that is insured by the FHA. The final rule will be effective on Jan. 10, 2014. The HUD rule builds off the QM/Ability-to-Repay rule, which the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized earlier this year. The Dodd-Frank Act requires HUD to propose a QM definition that is aligned with the ability-to-repay criteria set out in the Truth in Lending Act and with the agency’s mission to ...

In the third quarter of 2013, the level of home-mortgage debt outstanding grew for the first time since early 2008 as the housing industry continued to climb out of the crater. The Federal Reserve this week announced there was $9.864 trillion of single-family mortgages outstanding at the end of September, a tiny 0.1 percent increase from the previous quarter. But after four and half years of decline, the gain seemed monumental. The central bank noted that all the increase was in first mortgages, while the supply of home-equity loans outstanding continued to shrink. Servicing attached to Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac programs continued...[Includes one data chart]

“We are expecting to see people trying to inflate their income or hiding and downplaying their monthly obligations,” said Interthinx's Ann Fulmer.

In certain ways, HUD’s "qualified mortgage" definition is less restrictive than the CFPB edict, including setting no limit on a borrower’s debt-to-income ratio.

The appraisal requirements required by the Dodd-Frank Act apply to higher-priced mortgages that don’t meet qualified mortgage requirements.

“The CFPB’s treatment of balloon loans was a step in the right direction, and demonstrated recognition of the unique nature of community banking and a different approach to regulating them,” the CSBS says in a new white paper.

A ton of new servicing deals have hit the market. But will regulatory scrutiny throw a monkey wrench into the transactions?

Investors hunger for yield. And what better place to get it than in the new breed of subprime mortgages.

Although there are only a few weeks left in 2013, a few large mortgage servicing deals may get done yet.