“FHFA hasn’t dropped the ball on the issue,” said one MI consultant who has met with the agency over the topic. “They now know that the [GSE reform bill] is dead and they want to make sure they get it right.”

Blackstone Group, the largest owner of single-family rental properties, is reportedly planning to bring $1 billion of securities backed by rental cash flows to market – the latest in a string of large rental securitization transactions seen in the last couple of months. There are few details about the deal because the transaction is said to be private, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone, however, is said to be working with Deutsche Bank to market the home-rental bonds, which may be offered to investors next month. Blackstone’s latest securitization follows...

The new survey of more than 2,000 real estate agents found that respondents recommend specific mortgage providers for 59 percent of their homebuyer transactions.

S&P rated seven of the 11 non-agency MBS issued in the first three months of 2014, or 78 percent based on dollar volume, according to Inside MBS & ABS.

Real estate agents are more likely to recommend lenders that provide reliable preapprovals to potential homebuyers, according to a survey conducted by Campbell Surveys and sponsored by Inside Mortgage Finance. Positive interactions with real estate agents could help lenders boost business as the market has shifted toward purchase mortgages from refinances. “Real estate agents frequently recommend mortgage providers, and homebuyers frequently accept these recommendations,” said Tom Popik, research director of Campbell Surveys. The new survey of more than 2,000 real estate agents found...

PHH Corp. is continuing talks with several potential buyers about its mortgage division but is revealing little information on when it might ultimately announce a deal. In a recent conference call with analysts, company President and CEO Glen Messina would only say that “we’ve been actively engaged in detailed discussions with several interested parties” regarding both PHH Mortgage and its fleet business. Messina would not provide any more color than that. As reported by Inside Mortgage Finance last month, possible buyers include...

Industry trade group officials and lobbyists anticipate that no meaningful progress will be made on housing and GSE reform legislation until 2017 after a new president and Congress are elected.

In trading, Walter was down almost 5 percent on the day. The stock fell to just under $28. Its 52-week low is $24, its high $45.12.

One Stonegate Mortgage watcher we know called the company an “absolute no-brainer short,” noting that when the lender went public “it was overvalued."

Recently, House appropriators approved the FY 2015 budget for HUD but without an allocation for the HAWK pilot program. Still, FHA is hopeful...