Banks of all sizes reported sharp declines in their mortgage banking earnings during the third quarter of 2013, according to a new analysis by Inside Mortgage Trends. The refrain from bank management was virtually unanimous: mortgage production dropped significantly and gain-on-sale margins narrowed. Although mortgage servicing right values continued to climb, that doesn’t always translate into improved earnings on that side of the business. A diverse group of 19 lenders – including all ... [Includes one data chart]

The market for servicing sales has been strong for most of 2013, but could get even better between now and year-end as the megabanks look to dump their “legacy” problems and small shops sell mortgage servicing rights to boost earnings in a weak origination market. “It used to be that Bank of America, Wells, and JPM were the buyers [of servicing],” said Tom Piercy, managing member of Interactive Mortgage Advisors, Denver. “Now they’re the sellers. It’s a totally different environment now.” A year ago ...

The ability-to-repay rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in January would exclude more than one in five loans originated today from the full “safe harbor” legal protections for so-called qualified mortgages. That’s the chief finding of an analysis of August and September 2013 originations by ComplianceEase, a provider of risk management solutions based in Burlingame, CA. ComplianceAnalyzer, the firm’s patented automated compliance solution, is now capable of auditing loans for ...

BOK Financial is jumping into the online mortgage origination channel with the launch of HomeDirect Mortgage to serve consumers who are increasingly going to the Internet to shop for mortgages. The Tulsa-based company said the new channel complements BOK’s mortgage operation, which originated an estimated $4 billion in loans through its retail channel in 2012. As a “direct” lender with an automated online application system, HomeDirect is aiming for homebuyers who are computer savvy and searching ...

In the aftermath of the 16-day partial government shutdown, mortgage lenders have decided to continue suspension of the tax transcript requirement for borrower income verification until the Internal Revenue Service has caught up with the backlog of requests for the transcripts. According to lenders, even though normal operations have resumed at federal agencies, the IRS has fallen behind on processing lender requests for the 4506-T Form, which is a borrower’s transcript of tax return provided by the ...

With the era of “easy refinances” in the past, lenders are working to increase their purchase-mortgage originations. Industry consultants suggest focusing on lead-generation and providing value to potential borrowers as opposed to competing with other lenders based solely on interest rates. Garth Graham, head of Stratmor Group’s marketing strategy and execution practice, said lenders should use the leads and data they already have to increase purchase-mortgage originations. He noted that ...

The biggest originator of jumbo mortgages is redeveloping a platform to issue non-agency mortgage-backed securities, according to Larry Rubenstein, managing counsel at Wells Fargo. However, don’t expect jumbo MBS from Wells anytime soon as the bank has plenty of portfolio capacity. Wells hasn’t issued a non-agency jumbo MBS since 2008, when it was the top issuer of such securities, according to the Inside Mortgage Finance MBS Database. Speaking at the ABS East conference sponsored by Information Management Network ...

The qualified residential mortgage requirements recently proposed by federal regulators could force banks to retain mortgages in portfolio instead of issuing non-agency mortgage-backed securities, according to industry participants. The Dodd-Frank Act requires that non-QRMs be subject to required risk retention of at least 5 percent. In August, federal regulators proposed aligning the definition for QRMs with the definition for qualified mortgages established by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ...

Underwriting standards for jumbo mortgages decreased slightly in September compared with the previous month, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association analysis of data from AllRegs... Joseph Smith, the monitor for the $25 billion national servicing settlement with five banks, released a report this week detailing for the first time how the servicer loss mitigation actions have been credited. While the banks reported $38.72 billion in gross relief via loss mitigation and refinances through the end of 2012 ...

SunTrust Banks has agreed in principle with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice to settle certain FHA-related claims. Separately, a federal judge in Texas refused to dismiss a government suit against two FHA lenders accused of manipulating HUD into insuring poorly underwritten loans which later resulted in massive losses to the agency. Announced on Oct. 10, SunTrust’s agreement with the government agencies is part of a broader resolution of certain legacy matters and repurchase agreements with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. SunTrust has agreed to settle certain ...