Mortgage-investing real estate investment trusts are having a field day this year, selling additional common stock – and even preferred – to the public, while nonbank lender/servicers continue to be locked out of the market. And given the fact that origination volumes could wind up 20 percent lower this year than in 2016, it’s unlikely that investors will give nonbanks much of a chance unless they can prove themselves as “disruptors” with a “fintech” bent to their operating strategy. But that isn’t...

For years, big banks have delivered nearly all of their conforming mortgage production to the government-sponsored enterprises and retained their jumbo mortgages in portfolio. But some big banks have changed tactics, exploring differing execution options for their originations. Paul Donofrio, CFO of Bank of America, said the bank retained about 90.0 percent of its mortgage production on balance sheet in the second quarter of 2017. BofA had $18.0 billion in originations during the quarter, including first mortgages and home-equity loans. The loans retained...

The clock is ticking on the effective date of a host of new data collection and reporting requirements under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, and mortgage lenders are still waiting for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to complete some components of the rule necessary for full compliance. For this reason, the regulator should delay mandatory compliance much later than the scheduled January 2018 implementation date, industry trade groups said. “Although we greatly appreciate the CFPB’s work to facilitate implementation of this major data collection and reporting rule, the CFPB’s regulatory process and technological framework for this rule are still incomplete,” lender representatives said in a letter this week to the agency. Proposed amendments have not been finalized...

Bank of America reported $230.0 million in combined second-quarter mortgage-banking income, a hefty 88.5 percent increase from the previous period.

Watt noted that, “Some lenders are finally showing more willingness to extend credit to borrowers who meet the broader credit criteria reflected in the enterprises’ credit boxes…”

Ocwen originated $699.6 million in the second quarter, with a near doubling of retail originations unable to fully offset the wind-down in correspondent production…

The maneuver was uncommon and prompted speculation that other trustees might take similar actions.

The company has been trying to restructure its operations under CEO Anthony Renzi, who joined the firm last year.

In past SEC filings Radian hinted that a write-down tied to its 2014 $305 million purchase of Clayton might be in order, but the company never pulled the trigger.

A telling sign: Bank of America employed 6,603 servicing employees as of the end of 2016, down 78.0 percent compared to the end of 2013.