Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securitization volume reached its highest level in nearly four years during the first three months of 2013, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance market analysis and lender ranking.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced enforcement actions on Wednesday against four private mortgage insurers left standing after the financial market collapse, putting the squeeze on the industry’s use of captive reinsurance arrangements, which ceased when the financial markets collapsed, and fining the four companies relatively small, token amounts.

The independent foreclosure review process established by federal regulators for 14 servicers was “deeply flawed,” Rep. Maxine Waters, D-CA, said on Thursday in response to a report on the reviews by the Government Accountability Office. Waters said she will introduce legislation next week to address problems relating to use of outside contractors for enforcement actions.

The creation of a “sustainable housing finance policy” and an end to the “too big to fail” oversight approach with large banks top April’s to-do list for the House Financial Services Committee when Congress returns from its two-week spring recess next week.

Funding for the housing programs administered by the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service will not be subject to sequestration even though mandatory budget cuts are now being implemented across the board at all federal agencies.

Nationstar Mortgage clarified that the non-agency MBS it plans to issue in the second quarter of 2013 is an asset-backed security with servicing advances from non-agency mortgages. Genworth U.S. Mortgage Insurance, a unit of Genworth Financial, Inc., announced on Friday that it will offer 24 training classes in April to help mortgage lenders and servicers improve their efficiency and build their business. Fannie Mae President and CEO Tim Mayopoulos said this week that it would be a “mistake” for official Washington to allow the prospect of the newly profitable GSEs to continue to slow walk efforts on housing finance reform.

Despite its efforts to enhance its hiring outreach to minority and women potential contractors and employees during 2012, the Federal Housing Finance Agency still faces challenges finding qualified and diverse candidates.

The head of the San Francisco Fed expects that the Fed's purchases of Treasury and MBS will continue well into 2013.

The head of the Mortgage Bankers Association is pleased with the Obama administration's efforts to boost lending to borrowers with weaker credit.

Home prices nationwide jumped in February by the largest margin in seven years, said CoreLogic while the SEC has decided to allow public companies to Twitter and Facebook.