The average daily trading volume in agency MBS fell to $189.4 billion in March, the lowest reading of the year, and a sign that liquidity may still be an issue, depending on which seat you’re in. According to figures compiled by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, the trading numbers for 2016, so far, haven’t exactly lit the world on fire. In January and February, the readings were $195.1 billion and $201.4 billion, respectively. Last year, the best reading was...

A lender that focuses on investment properties is preparing to issue a non-agency MBS backed by adjustable-rate mortgages on residential and commercial properties. The deal shares some characteristics with non-agency MBS backed by new loans, but it’s different in a lot of ways. The planned $358.60 million Velocity Commercial Capital 2016-1 received provisional AAA ratings this week from Kroll Bond Rating Agency. Residential properties account for 55.3 percent of the collateral, with small commercial properties making up the rest. All of the mortgages backing the planned MBS are for investment properties. Velocity Commercial Capital issued...

Two years after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s ability-to-repay (ATR) rule went into effect, residential mortgage servicers have yet to see borrower claims being brought, according to a new report from Fitch Ratings. However, Fitch says the landscape could change as certain non-qualified mortgage loans become more common. But for now, the lack of borrower claims is not surprising, the report said. Most loans, including those eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, meet...

Then again, I’ve talked to recruiters who believe that good LOs are worth every nickel as long as they bring in the business.

More large lenders may pull back from FHA lending in the wake of this month’s massive settlements between two major FHA lenders and the Department of Justice to resolve alleged violations of FHA lending guidelines and the Federal Claims Act, warned a Baker Donelson attorney in a recent analysis. As DOJ increases its use of the FCA, “large lenders will continue to step away from FHA originations,” said Craig Nazarro, of counsel at Baker Donelson in Atlanta and author of the analysis. Nazarro also warned nonbank FHA originators of the risk they are taking on by continuing to originate FHA loans and growing their government-backed loan portfolio as the larger banks exit or limit their participation in the FHA market. “Many large lenders have faced or are currently facing these [enforcement] actions, and from the [DOJ’s] recent statements, it does not appear that they are slowing down ...

The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued new guidance clarifying how VA lenders should comply with the disclosure requirements of the new TRID rule. TRID, which stands for Truth in Lending Act-Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Integrated Disclosures, was adopted in final form by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Oct. 3, 2015. Specifically, TRID establishes new requirements regarding mortgage disclosure forms, which lenders must use for all home loans. Lenders are required to itemize the services and fees they charge to borrowers on the TRID disclosure forms, instead of on the HUD-1 closing statement, in connection with a loan application to purchase or refinance an existing mortgage. However, switching from the HUD-1 to the TRID form has caused uncertainty among VA lenders as to how to complete the new forms. VA’s TRID guidance lays out ...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has revised guidance to lenders for calculating monthly student-loan payments for debt-to-income ratio purposes. The change is aimed at helping more borrowers with student-loan obligations to qualify for an FHA-insured mortgage. Currently, the FHA requires lenders to calculate a monthly payment for deferred student loans based on 2.0 percent of the outstanding balance, and include it in the borrower’s DTI for qualifying purposes. The disadvantage of the current method of calculation is that it makes it harder for the borrower to qualify for an FHA loan, according to Marc Savitt, president of The Mortgage Center, an exclusively FHA/VA lender in Martinsburg, WV. Under the revised guidance, regardless of the borrower’s payment status, the lender must use: (a) the greater of 1.0 percent (a 50 percent reduction from the current 2.0 percent) of the ...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a notice to establish a computer-matching program between FHA and the VA that would enable the two agencies to prescreen mortgage applicants. The notice was published in the April 15 Federal Register. The computer-matching program would allow HUD to incorporate VA debtor files into the department’s Credit Alert Verification Reporting System (CAVRS). Consequently, both the FHA and VA would be able to prescreen loan applicants and identify who is delinquent or in default on a federally guaranteed mortgage loan. The use of CAVRS would allow HUD to monitor its FHA programs better and prevent the extension of credit to individuals who are delinquent or in default on their obligations to HUD and other federal agencies. Meanwhile, VA expects to achieve savings through risk reduction and ...

Closing times are improving but not by leaps and bounds.

NAR voiced its dismay that some mortgage bankers are making it difficult for Realtors to obtain a copy of the closing disclosure form or CD...