Freddie Mac announced this week that it has securitized more than $100 billion in multifamily mortgages through its K-Deal program, a milestone for the initiative that was launched in 2009. K-Deals were introduced during the financial crisis when the CMBS market collapsed. Freddie created the program to help revive the market, but it had to convince lenders that selling a loan via securitization was better than selling a loan that Freddie would hold in its portfolio. “In 2008, when we first started talking to investors about doing a CMBS-style securitization, some of them thought...

Both Wells Fargo and JPMorgan note that they have taken significant steps to work with borrowers who have payment option ARMs and other loans that allow for negative amortization.

One thing investors and analysts look for is revenue growth and Ocwen Financial did not deliver. But at least all of its lending licenses are intact...

In the first quarter, the top sequential gainers were all nonbanks: loanDepot (up 50.6 percent), Caliber Home Loans (46.2 percent) and Stearns Lending (22.6 percent.)

Freddie Mac securitized just $12 million of purchase mortgages with loan-to-value ratios of 96 percent or 97 percent during the first quarter.

The number of branch licenses for mortgage originators increased by 12 percent to 43,381.

Few in the industry believe Quicken will actually bolt the FHA program, noting that similar saber-rattling was done by JPMorgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon last year...

With the second quarter in full swing, several advisory firms are actively offering packages, including Interactive Mortgage Advisors, Phoenix Capital and The Prestwick Group.

But not to worry: the FHFA said the projections were mandated under the Dodd-Frank Act, cautioning that its estimate is just that, and not an expected outcome….

The Blackstone Group is on the hunt to buy mortgage companies, including both lenders and servicers, according to industry advisors and others who have been briefed on the company’s plans. Blackstone, without disclosure, recently purchased Gateway Funding in Horsham, PA, and is in negotiations to buy PMAC Lending Services, sources contend. It also is talking to a company that goes by the name of Pinnacle, though there are several firms with that name, and at press time it was unclear which one. Observers describe...