It’s a buyer’s market for mortgage firms these days, and former Cole Taylor Mortgage Chief Executive Willie Newman couldn’t be in a better place: He’s teamed up with Stone Point Capital, a hedge fund that has committed several hundred million dollars to the purchase of residential lenders. “We have a lot of plans,” Newman told Inside Mortgage Finance. “We plan to be in originations, servicing, capital markets and multi-channel production.” It was...

Former employees of the firm told IMFnews that they are perplexed as to why the company’s owners did not file a bankruptcy filing in federal court.

Ocwen Financial, once again, ranked first among all subprime servicers with a portfolio balance of $105.78 billion at March 31, a decline of 31.7 percent over the past 12 months.

In his report, Guggenheim analyst Jaret Seiberg writes, “There is still anger in Congress over having to put cash into the enterprises in the first time."

Lack of Congressional funding, however, has put a damper on the initiative. And lenders generally oppose proposals where they would be charged a subsidy fee.

Investors interviewed by IMFnews weren’t sure what to think of the latest news from Ellie Mae.

Despite the not-so-good news on applications, one warehouse lender suggested to IMFnews that larger lenders are suffering much more than smaller firms.

The high cost of FHA loans, due mainly to higher MI premiums and a requirement to maintain mortgage insurance for the life of the loan, has made it difficult for borrowers to obtain credit.

The price quotes can vary greatly depending on the size of the company being targeted, especially if there’s a servicing portfolio and platform that needs to be looked at.

“In recent client meetings, Stratmor heard that lender fees are now being included in the rate sheet price,” Yung said. Indications are that the 3 percent cap is causing lenders to fold the lender fees into the rate – specifically on the retail side.