Underwriting standards for subprime mortgages tightened somewhat in the third quarter, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve. One of the four banks surveyed by the Fed reported tightening underwriting standards for subprime mortgages in the third quarter while standards at the other three banks were unchanged compared with the previous quarter.The bankruptcy of the parent company of Ditech Financial is unlikely to have an impact on ... [Includes two briefs]

Senior homeowners are expected to have a wealth of home equity to tap into as they reach re-tirement, according to a new study by the Urban Institute. The institute analyzed the Federal Reserve’s 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances released this fall and concluded that 3.3 million low- and moderate-income seniors have more than $775 billion in un-tapped housing wealth.

FHA single-family endorsements rose 2.0 percent in the third quarter from the prior quarter as more borrowers took out purchase loans and nonbanks remained in control of the market during the period. The FHA endorsed $62.1 billion of forward mortgages during the third quarter, which brought total production over the first nine months of 2017 to $182.7 billion (excluding reverse mortgages), a 2.5 percent decline from 2016. Fixed-rate loans continued to comprise nearly all of FHA’s business. Adjustable-rate endorsements totaled $935.3 million for the first nine months of 2017, up from $701.7 million a year ago. FHA purchase activity was up 4.4 percent to $48.5 billion in the third quarter while annual volume increased 2.6 percent from 2016. Purchase loans accounted for 73.6 percent of total FHA endorsements for the nine-month period. Of the $182.7 billion of FHA loans endorsed during the ... [Charts]

Texas sticks out like a sore thumb in its regulation of home-equity lending, but the swelling will be reduced somewhat after Lone Star voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution that will loosen some of the rules.

Issuance of expanded-prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities is heating up with a new participant in the market and a quick second deal from Redwood Trust. Ellington Financial is preparing to issue its first non-agency MBS, which will largely consist of non-qualified mortgages originated by LendSure Mortgage. Morningstar Credit Ratings and S&P Global Ratings assigned preliminary AAA ratings to the deal this week. “Ellington Financial’s ability to access the robust securitization markets ...

Redwood Trust increased its acquisitions of jumbo mortgages in the third quarter, helped by strong demand for jumbo mortgage-backed securities. The real estate investment trust acquired jumbos with a total unpaid principal balance of $1.50 billion in the third quarter, up 25.0 percent from the previous period and up 15.4 percent a year ago. Officials said spread tightening helped the REIT compete with banks for jumbos. In the third quarter, Redwood closed two super-prime jumbo MBS with ...

Nonprime lenders allow credit scores as low as 500 and loan-to-value ratios up to 90.0 percent, but new originations don’t typically reach such extremes. According to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets, the average credit score on loans in nonprime/Alt A mortgage-backed securities issued in recent years was 701.1. The average combined LTV ratio for the loans was 74.9 percent and the average debt-to-income ratio was 37.0 percent. The analysis ... [Includes one data chart]

Tax reform legislation from Republicans in Congress could have an outsized impact on borrowers who take out jumbo mortgages, according to industry analysts. The tax reform in the House detailed last week would reduce the amount of debt eligible for the mortgage interest deduction and would limit deductions of state income taxes and property taxes. For new home purchases, the revised MID would only apply up to $500,000 in debt, down from a current cap of $1.0 million ...

Originations of higher-priced mortgages increased significantly in 2016 compared with the previous year, according to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets of data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The analysis excluded government-insured mortgages, multifamily loans and home-improvement loans. Some $28.61 billion of non-government-insured higher-priced mortgages were originated in 2016, up 28.9 percent from the previous year ... [Includes one data chart]

Freddie Mac significantly reduced its holdings of nonprime mortgage-backed securities in the third quarter, according to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Freddie held $5.14 billion of nonprime MBS as of the end of September, down 52.2 percent from June. The government-sponsored enterprise sold approximately $5.00 billion of its non-agency MBS holdings during the quarter, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ... [Includes one data chart]