Banks reported a modest decline in mortgage banking income during the second quarter of 2012, but the business continued to generate strong profits, according to a new analysis of call report data by Inside Mortgage Trends. Commercial banks, thrifts and bank holding companies reported a total of $7.91 billion in non-interest income from single-family mortgage banking activity during the second quarter. That was down 0.8 percent from the first three months of the year, but it still ranked ... [Includes one chart]

Historically low mortgages rates have fueled a prolonged refinancing wave that helped provide lenders with an important revenue source during the financial crisis. But as refinancing activity wanes and home prices begin to stabilize, lenders need to plan for the coming purchase market to stay competitive and continue growing revenue. In this regard, St. Louis-based Mortgage Returns helps mortgage companies, banks and independent mortgage banks prepare for the transition to a purchase-driven business ...

Plans to hasten the resolution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac through an amended preferred stock purchase agreement (PSPA) announced last week by the Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Agency has elicited mixed responses from stakeholders. Views vary as to whether the new deal will actually benefit taxpayers or simply protect holders of government-sponsored enterprise debt. The revised agreement will speed up the reduction of both GSEs’ investment portfolios, from an annual rate of 10 percent to ...

Lenders won a number of concessions from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week when the regulator proposed rules for loan originator compensation. However, the proposal also includes significant provisions that would impact lender profitability and originator compensation. For firms currently offering compensation arrangements that would be prohibited by the proposal, the CFPB said its proposed prohibition on compensation based on transaction terms “may contribute to adverse selection ...

Nationstar Mortgage Holdings posted strong profits for the second quarter of 2012 due to the company’s expanding servicing portfolio and refinances of loans in the portfolio. The nonbank had $36.3 million in net income for the quarter even after taking a $20.9 million decrease in the fair value of its mortgage servicing rights. “The primary driver of profitability continues to be servicing performance,” said Jay Bray, CEO of Nationstar, during a call with investors last week to announce the company’s earnings ...

Chimera Investment announced that it will restate three years of earnings and take large hits to net income and other-than-temporary impairment losses due to accounting on non-agency mortgage-backed securities. The real estate investment trust has been working for more than a year to apply proper accounting guidance to its $4.41 billion in non-agency MBS holdings. “As a result of applying the correct generally accepted accounting practices guidance to our investments in non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities ...

Standard & Poor’s last week updated its criteria for ratings on non-agency mortgage-backed securities with collateral originated before 2009. The standards update criteria for credit, cash flows and rating stability and apply immediately. The rating service said the changes will result in more downgrades than upgrades. This week, S&P placed 16,872 ratings from 3,364 securities with a par amount of $253.95 billion on CreditWatch. About 70.0 percent of the ratings are on watch for potential downgrades ... [Includes three briefs]

Chase Home Finance knocked Bank of America off its second-place perch and joined top-ranked Wells Fargo as the dominant Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities issuers in 2012, according to the Inside Mortgage Finance Database. Together, Wells Fargo and Chase accounted for 53.3 percent of the $100.6 billion Ginnie Mae MBS market in the second quarter of 2012, which grew 24.4 percent from the first quarter and a whopping 42.2 percent from the same period a year ago. Wells led with $42.6 billion and a commanding 42.2 percent piece of the Ginnie Mae MBS market, thanks to ... ( 2 charts)

A proposed rule that would require a flat fee for originating a mortgage loan with a Department of Veterans Affairs guaranty could do borrowers and lenders more harm than good, warned a coalition of financial services providers. The proposal is part of an upcoming Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rulemaking to implement certain provisions under the Dodd-Frank Act relating to loan originator compensation. The rulemaking raises a number of technical drafting issues that could have unintended consequences, cautioned ...

Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac emerged from the second quarter of 2012 firmly in the black with each company posting a free-and-clear profit – only the second time for each GSE since being drafted into government conservatorship nearly four years ago. The period ending June 30, 2012, marks the second consecutive quarter that Fannie will not require taxpayer assistance to keep the company going. Freddie will also not require an additional draw from the U.S. Treasury, the first time since the first quarter of 2011 which was the first time ever either GSE posted a profit since before conservatorship.