Based on mortgage results reported thus far, the first quarter was a nasty time for new originations for both the megabanks and some of the regionals, with non-depositories reporting slightly more benign production figures. Market leader Wells Fargo posted a hefty 38.9 percent one-quarter drop in mortgage originations. Second-ranked JPMorgan Chase reported a slightly less severe 23.0 percent drop in home loan funding. Citigroup, which a few months back made a strategic decision to deemphasize its role in home lending, suffered a 32.1 percent drop. Then there’s...

After some tightening in the fourth quarter of 2016, issuers of prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities in the first quarter of 2017 largely returned to the underwriting standards typically seen in the sector, according to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Some $2.60 billion of prime non-agency MBS was issued during the quarter, spread across six deals, including a $1.03 billion issuance by JPMorgan Chase. Underwriting ... [Includes two data charts]

Deephaven Mortgage is preparing to issue a $221.14 million nonprime mortgage-backed security, according to a presale report from S&P Global Ratings. The majority of mortgages in the deal were originated by Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions, a firm that has issued nonprime MBS on its own. While loans from 43 lenders will be included in Deephaven Residential Mortgage Trust 2017-1, Angel Oak accounts for 59.6 percent of the contributions. The other correspondent ...

Issuance of mortgage-backed securities backed by newly originated nonprime mortgages increased in the first quarter of 2017, according to Inside Nonconforming Markets. An estimated $411.36 million in nonprime MBS was issued during the quarter, a 23.2 percent increase from the previous quarter. And no nonprime MBS was issued during the first quarter of 2016. Issuance in the first quarter of this year marked the second best quarter for volume since nonprime MBS activity ...

Flagstar Bancorp announced that it’s set to acquire certain assets of Opes Advisors, including the nonbank’s origination unit. Opes focuses on purchase mortgages on the west coast through the retail channel. Opes was the 39th-ranked jumbo lender in 2015, with $1.02 billion in jumbo originations, according to an Inside Nonconforming Markets analysis of data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. Jumbos accounted for 40.6 percent ... [Includes three briefs]

There is a new boss in the Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities market. PennyMac Financial rose to the top of the issuer ranking in the first quarter of 2017 despite a sharp decline in volume, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside FHA/VA Lending. PennyMac issued $10.78 billion of single-family Ginnie securities during the first three months of the year. The figures in this analysis are based on Ginnie loan-level disclosures, which truncate loan amounts to $1,000 increments. PennyMac’s first-quarter production was off 27.9 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016, a slightly bigger decline than the 24.8 percent drop in overall Ginnie issuance. Even though the firm fared slightly worse than the total market, its first-quarter downturn was less severe than Wells Fargo’s. Wells has been the top Ginnie producer for a long time, as well as the top player in most segments of the ... [ Charts ]

A steep drop in VA-backed securities issuance in the first quarter of 2017 suggests that Ginnie Mae’s efforts to curb serial refinancing of VA loans are working, according to agency officials. Speaking on a panel at the annual VA Lenders Conference in Kansas City, MO, this week, Ginnie executives said that a change in pooling requirements for streamlined refinance mortgages appears to have curbed a destructive appetite for refinancing new VA loans within six months of closing. The practice has caused faster prepayments in Ginnie mortgage-backed securities pools and smaller payouts to investors. VA refi volume fell 42.7 percent from the previous quarter (see chart on page 2), contributing significantly to the 32.2 percent decline in total VA loan securitization during the period. John Getchis, senior vice president at Ginnie Mae, said he does not think the churning trend will continue because the ...

While conventional residential lenders try to figure out how to cut costs in what likely will turn out to be a down year for originations, nonprime firms are headed in the opposite direction – growth. Angel Oak Companies, Atlanta, the largest nonprime lender of 2016 with $700 million of production, this week announced the promotion of four senior managers and plans to double its sales force, which presently numbers 52 account executives. “We’ve already added 16 ...

Although agency mortgage lenders are having a challenging start this year, nonprime lenders are seeing volumes increase more than anticipated and are shaping up plans to bring new MBS to market. Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions, Atlanta, and its retail affiliate Angel Oak Home Loans ended the first quarter with just over $220.9 million of mostly non-agency mortgage production. An official at the company described the first quarter as “shaping up well.” The official told...

Issuance of prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities increased by 65.3 percent in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Some $2.60 billion in prime non-agency MBS were issued in the first quarter. Volume was boosted by relatively strong demand from investors, the emergence of a new participant and the return of a firm that has largely ... [Includes one data chart]