“The entire subject of ‘mini-corr’ and the CFPB’s interpretation is the result of a witch hunt perpetrated by one of the lawyers that moved from the Federal Reserve Board,” said one disgruntled broker.

By comparison, in the first quarter of 2014, Freedom averaged $1.28 billion of originations per month.

“Prospect has a target list and they have an audience,” said one advisor. “But so far, in the mortgage M&A market there has been a lot of talk – with not too many deals getting done.”

Criticisms about servicing seem to be stubbornly resistant to much improvement, however, hovering in the 3,000 to 4,000 range for the last six quarters.

The audit is being conducted by HUD’s Office of Inspector General to assess the bank’s compliance with FHA requirements related to the origination of loans insured by the agency.

A signing bonus for an LO sounds nice, but keep in mind that a lender has to find a way to pay for that bonus, which could result in an increase in pricing.

On the residential side, the top hire was David Firestone, who carries the title of vice president of financial operations.

Did someone really pay a $300,000 signing bonuses to a new LO?

Even if home prices fall by 10 percent, most borrowers in jumbo MBS issued in recent years will have more equity than they had at the time of origination, said Grant Bailey of Fitch Ratings.

But have layoffs by the megabanks hurt their ability to fund loans should mortgage rates fall further?