Nonbank mortgage lenders accounted for 43.3 percent of the total originations produced by the top 100 lenders during the first quarter of 2015, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. That was up from a 42.7 percent share of production by the top 100 in the fourth quarter of 2014 and a 38.0 percent share a year ago. The 48 nonbanks that ranked in the top 100 originators had a combined $133.35 billion in first-quarter production, up 13.0 percent from the fourth quarter. Banks and thrifts still play...[Includes one data table]

Mortgage bankers rode a wave of rising loan production to big increases in profitability during the first quarter of 2015, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report. Average pretax income for firms participating in the survey was $2.246 million, a whopping 149.3 percent increase from the fourth quarter. That was the highest pretax profit since the second quarter of 2013, when lenders earned ...

Lenders are increasingly interested in outsourcing portions of the mortgage origination process, according to a new survey by the Stratmor Group. Industry analysts note that while outsourcing can help reduce costs, there are also risks, particularly for lenders considering outsourcing the entire origination process. Stratmor, a consulting firm that focuses on mortgage profitability, found that the majority of lenders are more interested in outsourcing loan production ...

The average bid on the benchmark Fannie Mae 30-year 3.50 percent MBS fell to 102.2 this week compared to 104.5 earlier in the month, leaving some market watchers feeling sick to their stomachs. The general fear is that MBS prices may fall further over the short term as interest rates rise. The question for many boils down to the basics: Where will mortgages settle? As Inside MBS & ABS went to press this week, the yield on the 10-year Treasury reached...

Securitization industry participants are concerned about a recent ruling in a federal appeals court that overturned longstanding preemption certain nonbanks have enjoyed from state laws, including standards for debt collection. The ruling in late May by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Madden v. Midland Funding could pose “significant implications for the securitization industry,” according to the Structured Finance Industry Group. The case involves...

Originations of jumbo mortgages along with retention of some conforming loans helped bank and thrift holdings of first liens grow in the first quarter of 2015, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. Banks and thrifts held $1.78 trillion in first liens in portfolio at the end of the quarter, up 0.9 percent compared with the fourth quarter of 2014 and a 2.4 percent increase compared with the first quarter of last year. The portfolios ... [Includes one data chart]

Originations of adjustable-rate mortgages declined in the first quarter of 2015 as interest rate trends continued to incentivize many borrowers to select fixed-rate mortgages. Some $41.0 billion in ARMs were originated in the first three months of 2015, according to estimates by Inside Nonconforming Markets, down 10.9 percent from the previous quarter and down 6.8 percent from the first quarter of 2014. Many of the mortgages are ... [Includes one data chart]

The VA maintained a sizeable lead in first-lien mortgage refinancing over FHA and private mortgage insurers in the first quarter of 2015 but yielded to both in purchase originations during the same period. According to the Inside Mortgage Finance database, mortgage lenders originated approximately $221.0 billion of refi loans in the first quarter, a 51.4 percent increase from a revised fourth-quarter production estimate of $146.0 billion. Of first-quarter mortgages securitized by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae, refi loans comprised 61.4 percent, up sharply from 37.6 percent for all of 2014. VA streamline refis accounted for $20.4 billion while FHA refis made up $12.2 billion of refis pooled in agency mortgage-backed securities. FHA’s refi production jumped 57.8 percent in the first quarter. On the other hand, refi loans with private MI accounted for $14.2 billion produced during the ...

First Tennessee Bank’s agreement with federal agencies to pay $212.5 million to resolve allegations of violation of the False Claims Act is the latest proof of the government’s unrelenting pursuit of FHA lenders over underwriting and quality control issues. The settlement once again demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to combat FHA fraud using the FCA to recover taxpayer losses, according to an analysis by Boston law firm Greene LLP. “[The Department of Housing and Urban Development] made a point of saying that this behavior is exactly what led to the financial crisis and housing market downturn,” Greene’s compliance attorneys said. HUD and the Department of Justice have vowed to continue to pursue and hold accountable lenders who put profits ahead of their customers and legal obligations, the attorneys added. According to the DOJ, First Tennessee, a regional bank, admitted ...

The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to issue a final rule establishing ability-to-repay (ATR) standards and defining a “qualified mortgage” in October, according to the agency’s regulatory agenda for the second half of 2015. Proposed in May 2014, the rule would implement provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, which, among other things, would require the VA to define the types of loans that are QMs under the new ATR provisions of the Truth in Lending Act. VA loans that are designated as QM would have either safe-harbor protections or the presumption that the borrower is able to repay the mortgage loan, in accordance with the new ATR provisions. The final rule would not change VA’s regulations or policies regarding mortgage originations, except when lenders want to originate QMs, the VA said. A VA spokesman clarified that action dates on any particular rulemaking are not ...