Jumbos for borrowers with strong credit profiles present banks with limited risks – particularly adjustable-rate mortgages – and the loans offer lucrative opportunities to cross-sell other products.

On Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages with private mortgage insurance, average closing times declined to 42.5 days from 46.0 days.

Although the FHLB-Chicago will facilitate jumbo purchases with Redwood, any FHLB member across the nation can upstream product to the REIT.

The loans in the deal were largely originated by First Republic Bank and Chase, banks that certainly have the capacity to hold jumbos in portfolio.

The CFPB's Steve Antonakes revealed that the agency did not start training many of its examiners about the new rules until the first half of this year.

He may know how to run a decent race, but does economics professor David Brat – the man who beat Rep. Eric Cantor in the GOP primary in Virginia – know the history of the mortgage meltdown?

As one jumbo participant put it: “More is good.” Redwood Trust also is working on a deal, industry officials said.

The terms of the settlement include $500 million in consumer relief and a cash payment of $468 million.

Outside of CitiMortgage and SPS, no other servicers received one-star ratings on the seven metrics tested for the Treasury in the first quarter of 2014.

Analysts point out that bank earnings have suffered less than revenues, and many institutions responded quickly by downsizing their mortgage operations, although these cost-cutting efforts won’t show up in expenses immediately.