The first rated securitization backed by nonperforming Home Equity Conversion Mortgage loans contains strong, credit-positive features that outweigh the credit risk associated with nonperforming loans, according to a Moody’s Investors Service analysis. The effect of some of these positive features on the performance of Nationstar HECM Loan Trust 2015-2, however, depends on whether Nationstar Mortgage remains as servicer for the transaction, said the rating agency. Nationstar has a servicer rating of B2/Stable from Moody’s and is also the transaction’s sponsor. Nationstar issued NHLT 2015-2 in November 2015 and by the end of December, the first remittance report showed strong initial performance. Credit enhancement to the Aaa (sf)-rated notes increased by 1.69 percent in the first month of operations, Moody’s noted. “As long as Nationstar continues to be the ...

Radian Guaranty became the first among seven private mortgage insurers to declare compliance with the regulatory capital standards under the Private Mortgage Insurer Eligibility Requirements (PMIERs). Radian met its PMIERs goals after receiving $325 million in cash and marketable securities from its parent Radian Group in exchange for a surplus note. In addition, the parent firm contributed $50 million to an exclusive affiliated reinsurer of Radian Guaranty. Radian Group expects the capital cushion to increase based in part on expected future financial performance at its MI subsidiary. Monies from other sources, including a profit commission of about $8 million based on performance to date, and $8.5 million in prepaid supplemental ceding commission also contributed to the MI’s capital. Hence, Radian Guaranty is not expected to require any additional capital contributions in order to ...

Although residential production increased by roughly 30 percent in 2015 over the year prior, investors beat down nonbank mortgage stocks with a vengeance as continued low interest rates forced huge markdowns on the value of servicing rights. According to an analysis of eight publicly traded nonbank lender-servicers by Inside Mortgage Finance, the stock prices of these firms are currently trading at steep discounts to their 52-week highs, with most a dollar or two above their lows. ...

A recent appeals court ruling demonstrates that courts will look to contract terms between correspondent lenders and loan purchasers when determining the validity of buyback claims. In CitiMortgage v. Chicago Bancorp, the loan purchaser prevailed, with judges noting that the correspondent seller breached the contract by refusing to cure or repurchase loans. The two firms had a contract under which Citi agreed to buy mortgages underwritten or originated by Chicago Bancorp ...

Due diligence provider American Mortgage Consultants recently purchased the like-minded JCIII & Associates for an undisclosed sum, a transaction that could be a harbinger of additional consolidation in the sector. In fact, market sources contend that eventually American Mortgage Consultants will hit the auction block too – it’s just a matter of when. According to one due diligence source, the purchase of JCIII helps AMC build “critical mass,” which will attract buyers or at least ...

It’s not too late for lenders to catch the home-equity lending wave, which has rebounded after the housing market collapse and steadily gathered strength for well over a year now, according to Sam Khater, deputy chief economist at CoreLogic. “Home-equity lending, for years the red-headed stepchild of our industry, is coming back into favor, thanks to the growth in equity that millions of American homeowners are experiencing, and the improving economy,” Khater said ...

The legalization of marijuana has had a lucrative impact on Colorado’s economy, increasing tax receipts to the state. But housing professionals aren’t quite sure if the pot “boom” is also responsible for driving up home values. “We don’t have current statistics related to that industry,” said Kelly Moye, a spokesperson for the Colorado Association of Realtors. According to Moye, that’s partly why it’s difficult to attribute the increase in home prices to the booming weed market. But Moye notes ...

Mortgage lenders became gradually more pessimistic about profit margins in 2015, according to Fannie Mae’s most recent lender sentiment survey. In the fourth-quarter survey, 42 percent of respondents expected profit margins to shrink over the next three months. Back in the first quarter of 2015, only 10 percent were in that camp, though the group grew to 25 percent in the second and 38 percent in the third quarters of last year. A minority (13 percent) said they expect margins to ...

PHH Corp. and Nationstar Mortgage – both top 10 ranked residential servicers – recently filed to sell debt securities, an odd situation for two companies struggling with low share valuations amid a lack of confidence among both investors and stock analysts. The lender/servicers also have unveiled stock buyback programs, though such announcements usually represent a desire to do so, and not a contractual obligation. PHH’s Form S-3 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission offers...

Investors should see a higher share of VA collateral in Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities pools due to increasing VA loan originations, according to Deutsche Bank analysts. Given their rising share of VA collateral, new Ginnie pools are likely to have worse convexity than most of those originated in 2015, analysts said. “VA loans tend to prepay faster than FHA loans when in the money as VA loans have larger loan sizes, higher FICO scores and a more efficient streamline refi program that requires a minimum three months seasoning,” they observed. In addition, analysts expect the population of younger veterans to surge approximately 36 percent over the next five years. “[As such], there will be a healthy supply of new VA originations eligible for pooling,” they said. As a result, the share of FHA relative to VA collateral in new Ginnie II pools will likely decrease, they said. Such a trend has manifested itself slowly as ...