While activity plummeted in the second half of the year, jumbo MBS production in 2013 was nearly four times the level from the previous year.

Chief among the focal points of discussion will be the bureau's new ability-to-repay/qualified mortgage rule, which establishes strong consumer protections that ensure qualified homebuyers have access to safe, affordable home loans they can pay back.

The effort, known as Tier Ranking System II, was created to determine servicer compliance with delinquent servicing guidelines developed by HUD.

MountainView and The Prestwick Mortgage Group are out in the market with new deals for mortgage servicing rights. The new year should prove to busy for MSR sales.

Just how important are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the revenue picture of the U.S. government? According to calculations from The Collingwood Group, a Washington-based consulting firm, GSE dividends in 2013 will be the fourth largest source of federal revenue.

During the next 12 months, investors will have to navigate through numerous uncertainties, including all forms of policy risk: monetary, fiscal, economic and the fate of the GSEs.

While banks have put an emphasis on originating jumbo mortgages for portfolio, the uptick in total mortgages outstanding was largely driven by originations of agency mortgages.

Freedom has big expansion plans for the new year. Company CEO and founder Stan Middleman recently told IMFnews Daily that he plans to hire between 200 and 500 residential loan officers in 2014.

Most of the underlying mortgages have terms of six to nine months, but with a warehouse line in place the terms could range from three to five years.

A few months ago, sources close to the BofA case, said the FHFA was hoping for a settlement in the range of $13 billion.