SIFMA's call for higher guaranty fees might sound like heresy in the mortgage industry, but the trade group clearly wants the non-agency market to revive.

The mortgage REIT industry held $286.3 billion of MBS at the end of June, according to exclusive figures compiled by Inside MBS & ABS.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continued their conservatorship march toward smaller retained mortgage portfolios during the second quarter of 2014, with most of the focus on non-agency collateral, according to a new analysis by Inside MBS & ABS. The two government-sponsored enterprises ended June with a combined $872.7 billion in mortgage-related holdings, down 3.3 percent from the previous quarter. Compared to a year ago, their combined portfolio was down 19.7 percent. It was down 45.2 percent from the $1.592 trillion they held in the fourth quarter of 2008 shortly after the two were put in conservatorship. The biggest decline has been...[Includes one data chart]

We only bring up the “going private” issue because class action attorneys have finally woken up to the fact that Ocwen’s shares have been clobbered over the past year...

The hedge fund contends the government’s actions short change investors and amounts to a de facto liquidation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...

Bargain prices in the re-performing mortgage market may be a thing of the past.

FHA Commissioner Carol Galante has announced plans to step down from her current post, leaving behind a Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund that appears well on its way to recovery and a slumping FHA business. Industry response to Galante’s Aug. 12 announcement was mixed. Some stakeholders applauded her toughness and resolve in steering FHA through hard times, while others criticized her for policies that made it more difficult and costly for first-time homebuyers to obtain an FHA-insured mortgage loan. Galante’s nearly three-and-a-half year stint as FHA commissioner was highlighted by her efforts to stabilize the FHA’s ailing Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, reduce losses and improve lender oversight. She achieved these goals by creating a comprehensive risk-management structure at FHA, revamping FHA pricing and credit policies, and ...

Redwood, which had 140 active sellers at the end of June, plans to start testing its high-balance loan program with the FHLB system in the fourth quarter of this year.

The HUD IG found the Federal Housing Administration failed to bill lenders for 486 loans with enforceable indemnification agreements that created losses for the FHA.

Redwood Trust said monetary policy moves by the Fed have left banks saturated with record levels of excess reserves and lower costs of funds.