In a rambling, 6-page letter sent to the GSE’s board, Fairholme Managing Member Bruce Berkowitz claims Fannie Mae’s equity securities are now valued by the market at $36 billion.
“Revenues at some of these firms are going to take a nosedive over the next year or so,” said Anthony Garritano, founder of the Progress in Lending Association, an industry think-tank.
The year’s top five FHA lenders – Wells Fargo, Quicken Loans, JPMorgan Chase, Freedom Mortgage and Bank of America – combined for 21.9 percent, or $46.0 billion, of total agency production, down 34.6 percent quarter over quarter.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency ordered the two GSEs to sell at least 5 percent of their “less-liquid” mortgage assets, meaning whole loans and non-agency securities. CMBS are arguably the most liquid of these.
Some mortgage brokers see the switch to a mini-correspondent as their only way to stay in business due to provisions in rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The ATR survey was sent to 53 mortgage-originating entities, mostly mortgage bankers with some independent mortgage brokers and other originators. No credit unions or savings and loans responded.