Commercial banks and thrifts reversed a year-long trend during the fourth quarter of 2018 and increased their holdings of single-family MBS, a new Inside MBS & ABS analysis reveals. [Includes two data charts.]

Commercial banks and savings institutions made money on their mortgage banking activity during the fourth quarter, but not that much. [Includes one data chart.]

Mortgage lenders that deliver loans into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities continued to face relatively few repurchase demands from the two government-sponsored enterprises last year. [Includes two data charts.]

The gain in the sector was largely attributable to the biggest player in table-funding: United Wholesale Mortgage…

The Ginnie securitization rate hit 100.2%, but timing issues were involved…

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac racked up $25.19 billion in combined net income in 2018, their most profitable year since 2013, when earnings were inflated by accounting rules for deferred tax assets. [Includes one data chart.]

FHA and VA business saw a modest uptick in market share during the fourth quarter of 2018, but last year was all about the surge of the private mortgage insurance industry. [Includes two data charts.]

In terms of new insurance written during 2018, the market leaders were Arch, Radian and MGIC…

Wells Fargo, Quicken Loans and PennyMac ranked first, second and third, respectively, in loan sales to Fannie and Freddie during January…

Much of the mortgage earnings damage took place at the top…