Morningstar said the company’s underwriting process, quality control and compliance functions were factors in the rankings…

Rep. Heck said he will ask the GAO to study and recommend options for improving the reverse-mortgage program, including shifting HECMs out of the MMIF...

Meanwhile, one detail about the capital buffer falling to zero remains unclear: On Jan. 1 will every single penny of the $600 million (at each) be carted away?

A proposal released last week by the Treasury Department could make issuing and investing in non-agency mortgage-backed securities more attractive for banks. The Treasury called for revisions to various regulations that apply to non-agency MBS in a broad report suggesting regulatory reforms for capital markets. “In its review of the securitization market, the Treasury found that regulatory bank capital requirements treat investment in non-agency securitized ...

Originations of jumbo mortgages increased by 16.3 percent in 2016 but the sector’s share of total originations declined somewhat from the previous year, according to a ranking and analysis by Inside Mortgage Finance of newly released Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Some $340.88 billion of jumbos were originated in 2016, with banks dominating the ranks of the top lenders. Jumbos accounted for 17.5 percent of total originations last year, down from ... [Includes one data chart]

For originations of jumbo mortgages, it’s California and then everywhere else. The state accounted for 36.7 percent of jumbo lending in 2016, according to an analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data by Inside Mortgage Finance. Some $124.95 billion in jumbos were originated in the Golden State last year, up 18.2 percent from 2015. New York ranked second with $22.72 billion, accounting for 6.7 percent of total jumbo originations during the year. Jumbos ... [Includes one data chart]

A number of Republicans raised concerns last week about the exemption from qualified mortgage standards currently provided to mortgages eligible for sale to the government-sponsored enterprises. Loans must meet a number of standards to receive QM protections, including having a debt-to-income ratio below 43 percent. However, under the ability-to-repay rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that took effect in 2014, mortgages eligible for sale to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can receive QM status even if they have DTI ratios above 43 percent. The exemption is known as the “GSE patch.”

Ocwen Financial revealed last week that it won’t face enforcement actions from the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding two outstanding investigations. And the nonbank has reached settlements with a number of the state regulators that took actions against the company earlier this year. The SEC was conducting investigations involving Ocwen regarding the use of collection agents and fees and expenses related to liquidated loans and real estate-owned ...

After the standards for qualified mortgages took effect in 2014, few state-regulated banks stopped offering non-QMs, according to a survey by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. “Non-QM mortgage lending activity appears relatively stable despite the regulatory tumult,” the state regulators said. According to a CSBS survey of more than 600 banks, the share of respondents that don’t offer non-QMs changed from 23.8 percent in 2014 to 26.5 percent ... [Includes one brief]

Ginnie Mae issuers rode a wave of purchase-mortgage lending to deliver $120.46 billion of forward mortgages during the third quarter of 2017, the highest three-month volume for the year, according to a new analysis and ranking by Inside FHA/VA Lending. Third-quarter volume was up 9.6 percent from the April-June cycle. The data excluded FHA reverse mortgages and loan amounts are truncated in Ginnie’s mortgage-backed securities disclosures. Without those limitations, total Ginnie MBS issuance rose 9.5 percent to $123.37 billion in the third quarter. Purchase mortgages were the engine behind the growth. Ginnie issuers securitized $85.35 billion of purchase loans in the third quarter, falling just short of the record $85.41 billion set in the third quarter of last year. Although most Ginnie purchase loans (58.7 percent) were FHA loans, the biggest increase was in such loans guaranteed by the ... [Charts]