Two Harbors' recent move to gain access to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines through an insurance affiliate “will add a dedicated funding source for Two Harbors, and while limitations and restrictions will apply, it should alleviate some market concern regarding the potential for declining liquidity in the repo market.”

Year-over-year through October 2013, the CoreLogic House Price Index appreciated more than 12 percent nationwide, with prices nationally now 16 percent above the low in the fourth quarter 2011, according to CoreLogic’s December MarketPulse report released Monday.

What's ahead for residential lenders and servicers in 2014? You might be surprised at some of our predictions. Hint: The servicing market looks good, at least.

“The recent decline in large-lender share of the primary market is temporary, and principally a result of cyclical factors that caused larger lenders to pull back from the market,” said Fannie Mae's Gerry Flood.

Freddie Mac reported new buyback demands on $3.3 billion of mortgages during the third quarter, a stunning 31 percent increase from the previous period.

Some 44 percent of mods on portfolio loans by eight large banks and thrifts include principal reduction in the third quarter of 2013.

Freedom Mortgage, which has aggressive hiring plans this year, has tapped two top production executives from PHH.

The GSEs’ common industry dataset that supports the CFPB’s new disclosure form is called the Uniform Closing Dataset, and is one component of the Uniform Mortgage Data Program, an ongoing effort being directed by the FHFA.

As an industry, banks assigned a fair-market value of $48.4 billion to their mortgage servicing rights, according to figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Trends.

Issuance of jumbo MBS was strong in 2013 until interest rates started to rise in May due to concerns that the Federal Reserve was set to taper its stimulus efforts.