Wells Fargo has temporarily halted jumbo production through correspondent sellers while Chase, the other major player, is still active.

Amid the chaos in the financial market, originations of jumbo mortgages at big banks continue while non-QM lenders are laying off staff.

As the economic crisis precipitated by the coronavirus heats up, residential lenders have tightened their underwriting guidelines.

The mortgage market remained unsettled as the coronavirus damaged the U.S. economy and lenders weighed their options. The Fed came to the rescue with liquidity measures but fears regarding nonbanks persist.

The bulk of lenders operating in the non-QM market have suspended production due to a lack of demand in the secondary market. There are some signs that originations could resume within weeks.

Some non-QM lenders are facing pricing issues as demand in the secondary market fluctuates. At least one wholesale lender has suspended originations.

The creation of the qualified-mortgage patch was “unfair” but necessary to prop up originations, according to former CFPB officials who were involved in crafting the temporary rule.

In more troubles for Sterling Bank and Trust, the lender’s residential mortgage operations are now under investigation by the Department of Justice.

DoubleLine Capital has picked up a minority stake in OptionWide Financial, while MFA Financial has put its might behind five non-qualified-mortgage lenders.

The future looks particularly bright these days for non-qualified-mortgage shops looking to sell or go public. One lender that can take down the for-sale sign is Citadel Servicing Corp.