While many lenders say they intend to stick to originating safe-harbor qualified mortgages, some are taking a long look at the non-QM market or even building their strategy on it. Attorneys speaking at the recent annual convention of the Mortgage Bankers Association said rigorous underwriting, documentation and a solid track-record are prerequisites to competing safely in the non-QM space. And though the challenges are substantial, so are the potential rewards. A number of lenders are likely to test the water ...

A looser version of Home Affordable Modification Program loan modifications launched last year is increasing in popularity with non-agency servicers. HAMP Tier 2 allows mods with a broad range of debt-to-income ratios along with rental properties and even vacant homes. Some 11,338 permanent Tier 2 non-agency mods were initiated during the third quarter of 2013, according to the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, compared with 10,215 traditional non-agency HAMP mods ... [Includes one data chart]

RBS Securities agreed to settle charges levelled by the Securities and Exchange Commission that the underwriter mislead investors in a $2.2 billion subprime mortgage-backed security offered in 2007. “RBS knew or should have known at the time that almost 30 percent of the loans backing the offering deviated so much from the lender’s underwriting guidelines that they should have been kicked out of the offering entirely,” the SEC said of Soundview Home Loan Trust 2007-OPT1. The mortgages in question were ...

Subprime originations remain subdued. The Federal Reserve’s senior loan officer opinion survey for the third quarter included 68 lenders that originate prime mortgages. However, less than four said they offer subprime mortgages. And nonprime borrowers accounted for 5.82 percent of mortgages originated in the second quarter of 2013, Transunion said this week. Ocwen Financial said a settlement with state attorneys general is still in the works. “In light of the substantial ... [Includes three briefs]

U.S. Bank, as trustee for a mortgage loan trust, has sued Citigroup in New York state court to force the financial giant to cure or repurchase defective loans from a securitized pool. In a separate case, a federal court in New York dismissed a shareholder action against Citigroup in connection with certain residential MBS. At issue in the first case is a pool of 4,792 mortgage loans that Citigroup Global Markets Realty Corp. purchased and securitized in May 2007. Citigroup sold the loans to Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust, which, in turn, deposited the loans into the trust and assigned its rights to U.S. Bank. The trust then issued the MBS. According to the court summons and notice, Citigroup conducted...

Ocwen Financial posted record revenues in the third quarter of 2013 that could have been even higher if not for unexpected delays in boarding $42.0 billion in unpaid principal balance on non-agency mortgages from OneWest Bank. Officials at Ocwen wouldn’t reveal the exact cause of the delay. The loans were in non-agency mortgage-backed securities issued by IndyMac, which was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 2008 and sold by the FDIC to OneWest in 2009. Ocwen officials said delays ...

Citigroup Global Markets Realty is preparing to issue a non-agency jumbo mortgage-backed security next week, according to a preliminary term sheet provided to Inside Nonconforming Markets. The issuance would come just two weeks after Shellpoint Partners scrapped a planned jumbo MBS because of tepid investor demand. Blackstone is also offering the first securitization backed by rental proceeds from real estate owned properties and Freddie Mac is preparing its second non-agency risk-sharing transaction ...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency will announce 2014 loan limits for the government-sponsored enterprises near the end of November and provide lenders at least six months before the expected reductions take effect. “FHFA will follow its practice of announcing the 2014 conforming loan limits in late November, at which time further information will be provided on potential reductions in the size of loans the GSEs will guaranty going forward,” said Edward DeMarco, acting director of the FHFA ...

JPMorgan Chase’s settlement with the Federal Housing Finance Agency regarding representation and warranty claims on non-agency mortgage-backed securities could prompt large settlements by other banks, according to industry analysts. Chase agreed last week to pay $4.0 billion to settle claims on $33.8 billion of non-agency MBS purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The securities were issued between 2004 and 2007 by Chase, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. The settlement sets a “relatively high bar” for ...

Wells Fargo originated nearly one out of every five jumbo mortgages completed in 2012, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside Nonconforming Markets of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Wells had a 17.8 percent share of the $220.51 billion in non-agency jumbo mortgages originated last year, more than double its nearest rival. The origination volumes are based on one-unit conventional loan limits for specific metropolitan statistical areas and the $417,000 conforming loan limit [Includes one data chart] ...