PennyMac Financial Services has significantly curtailed its originations of jumbo mortgages in recent years, and ended 2016 nearly out of the sector all together. PennyMac didn’t have any jumbo originations in the fourth quarter and as of the end of 2016, the nonbank only had $1.0 million in locked jumbos in its pipeline.Citigroup has entered into a subservicing agreement with Cenlar for the bank’s non-agency mortgages. Servicing is expected to be transferred ... [Includes four briefs]

Real estate brokerage firm Redfin is preparing to offer purchase mortgages to homebuyers who use the firm’s real estate agents. The company announced Redfin Mortgage last week, promising a “digital mortgage,” low interest rates and faster closing times. The new lender will be led by Jason Bateman, a former executive vice president of mortgage operations at BBVA Compass. “When your real estate agent, title professional and lender work together, you win,” he said. “Lenders should spend their time determining which loan is right for a customer, not looking for new customers.” Initially, Redfin Mortgage plans...

Three of the nation’s most active nonprime mortgage originators – Citadel Loan Servicing, Angel Oak and Deephaven Mortgage – are all working on new MBS deals, a bullish sign for a market that has been mostly dormant for years. Executives at all three shops confirmed to Inside MBS & ABS this week their intention to bring new MBS to market – most likely through rated transactions. As for details, that’s a different matter. All three are...

The subprime auto lending market is stable and the underwriting is strong, but delinquencies are up, according to credit bureau experts speaking at the American Financial Services Association’s vehicle financing conference. The auto financing industry is coming off another record year of sales, according to Chris Stinebert, president and CEO of AFSA. He added that it’s important for credit reporting agencies to set the record straight on the health of the subprime auto finance market. “The fact is...

With the post-election interest-rate rise sticking around, there’s a growing school of thought that residential originators will finally ease underwriting standards in an effort to boost lending volume. But the way things stand today, that could be wishful thinking. The Mortgage Bankers Association told Inside Mortgage Finance this week that its Mortgage Credit Availability Index shows a “gradual” loosening has occurred, but it credits a greater availability of jumbo product for the reading. As MBA Senior Vice President of Research Michael Fratantoni put...

The jumbo mortgage-backed security Redwood Trust is set to issue on Jan. 20 received improved pricing compared with the company’s previous deal issued in October. The new MBS is fairly similar to the prior bond, indicating stronger demand from investors. The $343.28 million Sequoia Mortgage Trust 2017-1 priced last week. The super-senior tranche priced 1-20 back of Fannie 3.5s, which was four ticks tighter than Redwood’s previous offering, according to an analysis by Wells Fargo Securities ...

The types of home loans included in prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities issued during the fourth quarter of 2016 varied somewhat compared with issuance from recent quarters, according to an analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Some $907.8 million in prime non-agency MBS was issued during the fourth quarter. Collateral in the deals shifted more toward adjustable-rate mortgages, interest-only mortgages and refinances. ARMs ... [Includes one data chart]

A significant number of borrowers with subprime mortgages originated in 2002 and beyond are prime targets for refinances, according to analysts at Black Knight Financial Services. More than 600,000 subprime mortgages are currently performing, according to Wesley Winter, a senior modeler at Black Knight. He said that while all of the borrowers aren’t necessarily attractive targets for refinances, there’s $10.0 billion to $25.0 billion in potential refi opportunities involving ...

The Trump administration has officially set aside the 25 basis point cut in FHA annual premiums in a new mortgagee letter issued by the Department of Housing and Urban Development hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Mortgagee Letter 2017-07 said that the annual-premium reduction HUD announced on Jan. 9 “has been suspended indefinitely.” Stakeholders will be notified in the event of a policy change, the letter added. The letter confirms reports earlier in the week that the FHA pricing adjustment was about to be spiked. Ben Carson, who had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee last week, told lawmakers that he planned to work with the FHA director and financial experts to review the cut. However, the HUD secretary-designate gave no indication as to whether he favored a premium reduction that would benefit thousands of ...

In 2016, a mere $42.93 billion of non-agency MBS were issued, down 32.5 percent from the previous year, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS ranking and analysis. It was the second-lowest annual output since 2012. The picture would look a bit brighter if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac credit-risk transfer deals were included, as well as single-family rental securitizations, which both compete for the investors that might be interested in non-agency MBS. But the government-sponsored enterprise CRT deals are debt issues and they couldn’t be any more “agency,” while the SFR securitizations look a lot more like commercial MBS than residential MBS. The prime jumbo market hit...[Includes three data tables]