The privately held Quicken grew its Fannie/Freddie MBS volume by 18.5 percent from June.

But almost 48 percent of senior loan officers said approval rates for prime jumbo borrowers were lower...

A diverse group of 31 lenders tracked by Inside Mortgage Trends reported a combined $4.13 billion in mortgage banking income during the second quarter, up 32.7 percent from the first three months of 2014.

Essent has another quarterly profit while National MI took a loss.

Mortgage trustees are still awaiting state court approval of a $4.5 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase in relation to faulty residential MBS issued by the bank and the now-defunct Bear Stearns between 2005 and 2008. If approved by the New York State Supreme Court, the agreement would resolve representation and warranty claims as well as servicing claims related to loans in 330 mortgage securitization trusts, as well as claims over document delivery. In addition, the bank agreed to change its servicing procedures with respect to mortgage loans in the trusts. The proposed settlement does not resolve...

Nonbank mortgage companies reported mixed results in the second quarter of 2014, according to a new analysis by Inside Mortgage Trends. A group of seven publicly traded nonbank lenders more than doubled their income compared with the first quarter, mostly because of an outsized gain at Nationstar Mortgage and lower losses at PHH Mortgage. Midway through the year, the group’s mortgage banking income was down 64.7 percent from ... [Includes one data chart]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continued to whittle down their caseload of unresolved mortgage repurchase requests during the first quarter of 2014, according to a new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of disclosures by the government-sponsored enterprises. Fannie and Freddie had $3.23 billion of pending and disputed buyback demands outstanding at the end of March, down 30.3 percent from the previous quarter. Although both GSEs ... [Includes two data charts]

Lender profit margins appear set to stop declining, according to a new survey by Fannie Mae of senior executives at 181 institutions. Industry participants suggest that increased demand from borrowers along with operational efficiencies will help steady profit margins. Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie, said the significant decline in volume in recent quarters put pressure on profit margins. “That would be expected to ease somewhat ...

The first-time homebuyer share of purchase-money mortgages differs a great deal across the states, and house price growth may have something to do with it, according to a new study by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. FHFA researchers looked at first-time buyer activity from 1996 to 2013 and how it is affected by nationwide house-price trends. They found a symbiotic relationship that may or may not be beneficial to first-time homebuyers, depending on ...

An overwhelming majority of prospective homebuyers believe purchasing a home is a good investment decision, but many of them “haven’t done the math” and feel overwhelmed by the amount of information that have to contend with, according to a new Discover Home Loans/Versta Research poll. Five years after the Great Recession, most participants generally had positive views and expectations about their upcoming participation in the housing and mortgage markets ...