Ginnie Mae continued growing its forward-mortgage servicing portfolio during the first quarter, leading to a rising share of high-coupon mortgages. Meanwhile, the GSE servicing market contracted slightly. (Includes two data tables.)
The agency single-family MBS market is the main driver of structured finance issuance, but it recorded a decline in first-quarter production while ABS, commercial MBS and non-agency RMBS posted gains. (Includes three data tables.)
The refinance market is showing signs of life — especially in the government-insured sector — and total agency MBS issuance in the first quarter was up from a year ago. (Includes two data tables.)
As the historic mortgage boom fades into the past, buyback claims from the GSEs have declined. The biggest downturn has been at Freddie. (Includes three data tables.)
With barely any refinance activity, the seasonal housing slowdown showed overcapacity in production platforms that squashed profitability. (Includes data table.)