Not only did Citigroup shock the market this week with its decision to exit residential servicing operations, but the move could be the start of an eventual withdrawal from all mortgage banking. For now, the nation’s sixth-largest servicer – and 13th-largest originator – is strongly refuting such talk, but that isn’t stopping the industry from speculating on the megabank’s next move. “If they firmly believe they can’t make money in servicing and cross-selling, then this is...

Tom Hutchens of AOMS, said “a lot” of his optimism about higher nonprime origination volumes for 2017 is tied to securitization. “This is now a liquid market,” he said.

A fun fact for nonbanks: Depository institutions among the top 50 servicers reduced their holdings by 1.2 percent during the same period.

The largest Fannie/Freddie servicers are still Wells Fargo, JPMorgan and Bank of America, but all three continue to shrink their exposure to GSE product...

On the extreme end, 30 percent expressed dissatisfaction with their current LOS but did not say whether they were ready to toss it overboard…

The CFPB Office of Inspector General recently initiated an evaluation of the bureau’s use of vendors to support its analysis of fair lending compliance, the OIG indicated in its latest work plan. The OIG begins by noting, among other responsibilities, the CFPB is charged with providing oversight and enforcement of federal laws intended to ensure the fair, equitable and nondiscriminatory access to credit. But what may surprise many in the industry is to learn that the agency relies on external vendors to help fulfill this responsibility. “Our objective is to assess whether the CFPB effectively mitigates the risk associated with the use of vendors to support fair lending analysis, particularly with respect to potential conflicts of interest,” said the OIG ...

Bulk transfers of Freddie Mac MSRs also increased dramatically in 4Q16, more than doubling to $17.52 billion…

In the past, Home Point has been a selective buyer of servicing rights and other companies...

The mortgage division will employ loan advisors, providing them with incentives that reward service, not just sales...

Agency mortgage servicers last year transferred some $369.44 billion of mortgage-servicing rights tied to mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae, according to an exclusive new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis. Thanks to an end-of-year surge, bulk MSR transactions accounted for most of the market. During the fourth quarter, some $76.69 billion of servicing changed hands in bulk transfers, a 76.5 percent jump from ... [Includes three data charts]