A reduction in agency loan limits would make a small portion of today’s mortgage market ineligible for the government-sponsored enterprises, according to a new analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. However, industry participants suggest that lower loan limits will help increase participation in the non-agency market and test whether the sector can take even more share from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Mortgages with loan balances greater than $417,000 accounted for ... [Includes one data chart]

The end of the fiscal year is drawing near, which means in a couple of weeks the FHA again will be in the hot seat as Congress, mortgage industry participants and consumer groups pore over the results of the latest fiscal year audit of the FHA’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. This time, stakeholders might find some encouraging data, observers say. The findings of the FY 2012 actuarial review conducted by Integrated Financial Engineering, Inc. brought a lot of heat on the FHA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, reigniting calls for FHA reforms in the House and the Senate. Reform bills are currently ...

Federal housing regulators and Congress may have relied on inaccurate and outdated data while keeping track of FHA loan defaults and identifying potential risk to the FHA insurance fund, according to a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General. The HUD IG said it initiated an audit after observing delayed reporting of default information on loan histories. The OIG performed the audit between November 2012 and July 2013. HUD did not comment on the report.The department requires lenders to report monthly all loans that are 30 days past due. Prompt and accurate reporting provides ...

Freddie Mac had been lending Fed Funds (overnight loans) to Lehman Brothers since 2005. Then, in 2008, the nature of those loans changed to longer term borrowings.

Lenders such as Bank of America and Quicken are hooked on refis. What might the future hold for these funders as purchase loans begin to dominate?

In less than a month Wells Fargo has unveiled mortgage-related layoffs of 4,100. Some of those receiving pink slips could find other work at the bank.

Almost 19 percent of the loans in the new Penny Mac jumbo MBS were originated by mortgage brokers.

Wall Street will hit the halls of Congress on the issue of eminent domain. Meanwhile, these lenders are refi-heavy: Wells Fargo, Chase, and Quicken. See our exclusive list.

The decline in refinance mortgage lending that began in early 2013 continued into the third quarter, with refi originations moving to their lowest level in two years. According to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis, refinance mortgage production fell 12.9 percent from the first quarter of 2013 to the second, with an estimated $332.0 billion in new originations for the period. Refinance production has continued to decline since the end of June. Securitization of refinance loans by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae declined...[Includes three data charts]

The mortgage and housing sectors know that lower loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are coming – but they would like to forestall the day of reckoning for as long as possible, especially in light of looming implementation deadlines tied to a slew of new rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Industry lobbyists close to the issue said the Federal Housing Finance Agency was expected to make an announcement by the month’s end on what exactly those loan limits might be. However, some sources said the FHFA was weighing heavily the fact that mortgage lenders are already crunching on technology and compliance upgrades tied to CFPB rules, in particular, the ability-to-repay measure. One official said...