The hunger for GSE speculation is also causing some investors to buy Fannie/Freddie common which has been rising of late, but not by much. However, one GSE watcher believes that buying the common, "is a fool’s game."

Casey is responsible for all origination and operations functions at the top 10 ranked lender

More than $85 million in peer-to-peer mortgages were originated in 2013 via National Family Mortgage. It may double that performance this year.

The mortgage industry is once again at a crossroad. What will save lenders? Answer: cash-out refis, non-QM loans, and 80-10-10s.

According to figures compiled by Inside Mortgage Finance, Flagstar is the nation’s second largest wholesale/broker lender. It also has a fairly large presence in the warehouse market.

The nation’s three largest funders of home mortgages – Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America – this week reported hefty declines in originations during the fourth quarter of 2013. Wells originated $50 billion in residential mortgages during the fourth quarter, a stunning 60 percent decline from the same period a year earlier. The last time this perennial market leader had fundings this low was in the fourth quarter of 2008 when financial markets were reeling worldwide and the U.S. housing market was in the throes of an historic collapse. But Wells’ closest competitors fared...[Includes one data chart]

It may be time for the mortgage industry to take a chill-pill: applications are on the rise again, rates have stabilized and some firms are actually hiring loan officers.

As expected, the Mortgage Bankers Association this week lowered its 2014 origination forecast to $1.12 trillion, a $57 billion decrease from its previous estimate. Word of the reduction was making the rounds last week.

The megabanks no longer have a total "lock" on the MBS issuance market. But is this trend short-lived?

We continue to hear reports that Walter Investment Management is talking to a fairly large nonbank about a possible acquisition.