Lenders are directing more resources toward purchase-mortgage originations and reporting that they are holding underwriting requirements firm. However, an Inside Mortgage Finance analysis of mortgages delivered to the government-sponsored enterprises suggests that purchase-mortgage underwriting requirements have gradually loosened in the past year. The focus on purchase mortgages became urgent as interest rates started to increase in May, settling for the moment about 100 basis points higher than they were in April, reducing demand for refinances. In October, purchase mortgages accounted for over half of the loans securitized by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. The vast majority of 68 lenders surveyed by the Federal Reserve said...[Includes one data chart]

The last time private MIs did more business than either the FHA or the VA was back in the first quarter of 2008. At that point, however, private MIs accounted for well over half of primary MI new business.

On Thursday morning, Fairholme chief Bruce Berkowitz said, "We’re talking to everyone about this plan,” then added: “We’d love to talk to Treasury.”

Pete Carroll's mortgage credentials include a stint at Overture Technologies, a mortgage technology firm based in the Washington, DC, area.

Cash-out refis are at all-time lows compared to the peak in 2006 when $84 billion in equity was withdrawn by consumers.

Are mortgage bankers so diabolical that they attempt to find a way around new regulations? Industry consultant Joe Garrett of Garrett, McAuley & Co. thinks so.

The changes via Desktop Underwriter include tougher debt calculations for adjustable-rate loans and a complete removal of interest-only loan options.

Buyback resolutions declined by 28 percent from the second quarter, even as the government-sponsored enterprises wrapped up large-scale settlements with a handful of their largest sellers.

Freedom Mortgage chief Stan Middleman sees a "vacuum" in the mortgage market caused by retreating commercial banks.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has picked two “final” candidates to be CEO of the joint venture developing a common securitization platform for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and, potentially, some non-agency MBS issuers. According to industry officials close to the matter, Peter Carroll is one of the candidates to head Common Securitization Solutions, the name of the entity developing the platform. Carroll is currently the assistant director for mortgage markets at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The identity of the other candidate could not be confirmed...