Insurance-linked notes have become all the rage among mortgage insurance firms. The latest deal to hit the market is a $316 million note offering from MGIC via a Bermuda reinsurance affiliate.

Morningstar plans to buy fellow rating agency DBRS for $669 million. Currently, there are 10 nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, and speculation is the space could be ripe for consolidation.

The year prior, Fannie CEO Daniel Mudd earned $11.6 million while Freddie's chief Richard Syron took home $18.3 million, but a large chunk of their pay included stock... 

Former investment banker and Freddie Mac executive Bruce Witherell has parted ways with Promontory MortgagePath, a vendor owned by Eugene Ludwig, who once headed the OCC. Witherell is currently fielding offers.

In one of the largest M&A deals of the year, Freedom has agreed to buy RoundPoint Mortgage but details are hard to come by, including the issue of debt assumption. Meanwhile, industry advisors fear that declining interest rates might put other transactions on hold.

Blackstone-related investors plan to unload 40 million shares of Invitation Homes stock...

The strongest MBS trading month of the year came in March at $269.9 billion...

The top five EC producers include U.S. Bank, Angel Oak, Redwood Trust, Citadel Servicing Corp., and New Rez…

In a statement, Morningstar said over the short-term, the acquisition will change nothing and it will be “business as usual.”