Aggregation of non-agency mortgages isn’t generating the types of returns seen in 2021, but it’s still a good business, according to officials at MFA Financial.

AG Mortgage Investment Trust acquired $2.5 billion of non-agency loans last year, about half of them during the fourth quarter. The REIT is targeting returns of around 15% from non-agency MBS issuance.

Champions Funding enters the wholesale market for non-QMs; Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions expands the types of properties eligible for its investor cashflow program; LendingOne is offering a new single-family rental product; DBRS approves MetaSource as due diligence provider.

In a rising rate environment, issuers of jumbo MBS are seeing better pricing when the loans in their deals have short average seasoning times.

With traditional refi business slowing, New Residential plans to increase originations of various non-agency products.

Fitch’s review of 225 non-agency MBS prompts downgrade of a single tranche; Unison issues securitization with residential equity agreements; Carrington offers to complete certain non-QM origination tasks for brokers.

Loan-level details from CoreLogic provide a comparison of interest rates charged on jumbos and conventional mortgages. One finding: Spreads returned to pre-pandemic levels in the second half of 2021.

FHFA’s increase of fees on GSE mortgages for second homes could shift some volume into the non-agency market. Demand for second homes is also increasing.

Non-agency mortgages, both jumbos and non-qualified mortgages, look promising to Western Alliance Bank as margins on conventional-conforming loans compress and production falls.

Milo Credit is offering a mortgage that allows borrowers to qualify solely by pledging Bitcoin. The lender’s asset treatment of Bitcoin varies significantly from how the GSEs view borrowers with cryptocurrencies.