For the issuance of mortgage-backed securities with non-qualified mortgages to take off, industry analysts suggest that banks need to play a larger role. To this point, nonbanks have been the only issuers of non-QM MBS. Ron D’Vari and Timothy Bernstein, analysts at New Oak, authored an overview of non-QM MBS issued in the latest issue of The Journal of Structured Finance, which was published this month. The analysts said real estate investment trusts and hedge funds ...

After declining for 10 consecutive quarters, the serious delinquency rate on subprime mortgages increased in the first quarter of 2016, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The non-seasonally-adjusted serious delinquency rate on subprime mortgages was 12.41 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2016, up from 12.39 percent the previous quarter and down from 15.17 percent in the first quarter of 2015. The serious delinquency rate ... [Includes six briefs]

FHA activity was lackluster in the first three months of 2016 as loan originations fell 7.8 percent from the prior quarter, according to Inside FHA/VA Lending’s analysis of agency data. The weak first-quarter production of $53.5 billion appeared to continue a trend from 2015, which saw the fourth quarter close with $58.1 billion, down significantly from $73.7 billion in the third quarter. In contrast, FHA originations fared better year-over year. Loan production was up 35.6 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. Purchase lending totaled $36.5 billion in the first three months with overall production trending downward during the period. Borrowers in the 640-679 and 680-719 credit score ranges made up the bulk of new endorsements for January and February, the latest FHA data show. It is unlikely that trend will change even if March endorsements were added. Between all ... [ 2 charts ]

All three major food groups in the contemporary mortgage market – government-insured, jumbo and conventional conforming – saw roughly the same drop in new originations from the fourth quarter of 2015 to the first three months of 2016, according to a new analysis by Inside Mortgage Finance. Production of loans with FHA, VA and rural housing guarantees held up a little better than the other sectors, with estimated originations slipping 1.0 percent from the fourth quarter. Although purchase mortgages account for a relatively higher share of originations in the government-insured market, there was a boost in refinance lending, especially in the VA program, that helped sustain overall production in the sector. The conventional-conforming and jumbo markets were...[Includes two data tables]

Issuance of jumbo MBS has fallen off since mortgage disclosure requirements set by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took effect in October. While the slowdown in jumbo MBS issuance has been blamed on TRID, there still appears to be plenty of demand from secondary market investors for jumbo whole loans. Redwood Trust’s jumbo origination and sales volume has been humming along without much impact from the CFPB’s combined Truth in Lending Act and ...

Industry participants are gearing up for non-agency MBS backed by non-qualified mortgages, but don’t expect a flood of volume anytime soon. Four non-agency MBS backed by new nonprime mortgages were issued in 2015, the largest of which was a $150.35 million deal from Angel Oak Capital Advisors. None of the deals were subject to risk-retention requirements that took effect at the end of 2015 and none were rated. A rating on a non-QM MBS could improve...

Angel Oak Capital Advisors is working on what should turn out to be its second nonprime mortgage securitization of the past six months, a deal that should be similar in size to its first offering of roughly $150 million, Inside MBS & ABS has learned. A source close to the company, who spoke under the condition his name not be used, could not commit to an exact issuance date except to say the security could be issued “soon.” To date, investor interest in the small amount of nonprime/non-qualified mortgage deals that have come to market has been...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac trimmed their retained mortgage investment portfolios in the first quarter of 2016 by a combined 2.8 percent. The Federal Housing Finance Agency directed the government-sponsored enterprises to wind down their portfolios by 15 percent each year until they reach $250 billion by 2018. At the end of the first quarter, Fannie’s mortgage-related investment portfolio dropped to $332.6 billion, a 3.6 percent decline from December 2015. The biggest drop was in the GSE’s non-agency MBS holdings, which fell 21.3 percent in the first quarter to just $13.3 billion, roughly one tenth the amount held back in the heyday of the subprime and Alt A MBS markets. Fannie plans...[Includes one data table]

Although the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still months away from officially clarifying certain parts of its complicated integrated disclosure rule known as TRID, the secondary market – and some attorneys – are already breathing a sigh of relief. But the big question remains: how far will the agency go? And will it provide enough clarity to ease the fears of buyers about being sued for monetary errors? The rule, which integrated consumer disclosures under the Truth in Lending Act and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, became...

Announcements by two real estate investment trusts that are prominent in jumbo lending underscore two key themes in the market: increased competition and the lingering headache caused by the TRID disclosure rule. Redwood Trust recently launched an “expanded prime” program known as “Redwood Choice” for correspondent sellers. “The Choice program is a prime program that is fully documented, but with credit parameters outside our more recent underwriting guidelines,” Redwood said. Choice features...