However, year-to-date mortgage banking income was up 46.0% from the first six months of 2020.

And while repurchase activity still represents a small portion of Fannie and Freddie business, 2021 is shaping up as the biggest year for seller buybacks since 2014.

Lenders reported measurable declines in income from originations and secondary market as production volume fell and per-loan costs rose. MSR valuations hit servicing hard. (Includes data chart.)

Bank call-report data show a huge drop in mortgage banking income from the first to the second quarter, but several top banks reported big gains. (Includes data chart.)

Most of the gain came from three top institutions and in one specific category: ABS backed by consumer loans...

The landslide of new single-family MBS issuance since the pandemic started is yielding a predictable side effect: rising buyback demands from the GSEs. (Includes two data charts.)

The FHA received some help from reperforming loans that had COVID payment forbearance, but the VA has also seen a sharp decline in refinance business. (Includes two data charts.)

Fun fact: The top three "'mREITs" all reported declines in their MBS portfolios. AGNC Investment held the top ranking...

Several top REITs hunkered down in the choppy agency MBS market during the second quarter, while others continued pushing into MSRs and the non-agency mortgage sector. (Includes data chart.)

Most of the modest gain in bank ABS investment came from a handful of large banks buying deals backed by unsecured consumer loans, a fast-growing market. (Includes two data charts.)