Caliber Home Loans was assessed by Moody’s Investors Service as an originator of “expanded-credit” mortgages last week. Caliber is the first lender to receive a rating from Moody’s for expanded-credit mortgages, which could pave the way for the first rated non-agency mortgage-backed security that includes non-qualified mortgages. The rating service defined Caliber’s expanded-credit mortgages as non-agency mortgages that are not prime jumbo loans. Moody’s said ...

Underwriting standards on the four prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities issued in the first quarter of 2016 loosened marginally compared with the typical prime jumbo MBS issued in recent years, according to a new analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The combined loan-to-value ratio on prime non-agency MBS issued in the first quarter of 2016 averaged 69.8 percent. That was somewhat higher than the average combined ... [Includes one data chart]

The company that claims to be the largest originator of mortgages via marketplace lending continues to work on offering nonconforming mortgage products, including non-qualified mortgages. LendingHome announced last week that it has originated more than $550 million in mortgages since 2014 via marketplace lending. Marketplace lenders connect borrowers with institutional investors and individual investors. LendingHome said its mortgage originations ...

More than a year after state regulators proposed prudential standards for nonbank servicers, there’s no specific timeframe for releasing final standards. Officials at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors note that they are hoping for a coordinated approach with federal entities to regulate nonbank servicers. In March 2015, the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators and CSBS proposed standards for nonbank servicers. The proposal included baseline ...

New reports suggest that government-backed mortgage markets provide better stability for the economy, while investors in non-agency mortgage-backed securities were faulted for abandoning the market after the start of the financial crisis. A paper published last week by economists at the Federal Reserve found that areas with high levels of participation from the government-sponsored enterprises and FHA had relatively lower unemployment rates, higher home sales ...

First Republic Bank announced this week that it increased its minimum wage to $20 per hour. The bank, which focuses on originating jumbo mortgages, also introduced a purchase-mortgage product for borrowers in underserved minority neighborhoods. Officials at First Republic were unwilling to elaborate on the new initiatives beyond details provided in a press release. “First Republic has an active and significant commitment to building ... [Includes nine briefs]

New production of non-agency MBS fell sharply in the first quarter of 2016 despite an anomalous rebound in the prime mortgage sector. A mere $8.38 billion of non-agency MBS was issued in the first three months of this year, down 40.8 percent from the fourth quarter and off 64.5 percent from a year ago, according to a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis and ranking. It was the slowest quarter for new issuance since the end of 2013, when just $6.11 billion of new non-agency MBS came to market. The non-agency MBS market remains...[Includes three data tables]

Litigation over legacy residential MBS deals that went sour in the run-up to the financial crisis continued last week, as California Attorney General Kamala Harris sued investment bank Morgan Stanley for alleged misrepresentations about RMBS investments, which she said contributed to huge losses by investors such as the state’s public pension funds. In what is just the second such use of the False Claims Act by a state, Harris’ complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that Morgan Stanley violated the FCA, as well as California securities law and other state laws, by allegedly hiding or downplaying the risks of complex investments involving large numbers of underlying loans or other assets. Harris used...

The volume of prime non-agency mortgage-backed securities issued in the first quarter of 2016 reveals little about how the market is functioning, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Some $2.92 billion in prime non-agency MBS was issued in the first quarter of 2016, a 61.3 percent increase from the previous quarter but a 36.4 percent decline compared with the first quarter of 2015. Only four prime ... [Includes one data chart]

The Association of Mortgage Investors recently detailed a number of issues involving the TRID disclosure rule that have been uncovered in pre-purchase due diligence reviews on non-agency mortgages. The example errors were included in a letter from the AMI to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which designed and mandated the new disclosure based on requirements of the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. “In the near term ...