It’s no secret that aggressive mortgage banking firms are recruiting top executives and loan officers away from other firms. One of the busiest recruiters that we know of its Mortgage Master of Walpole, MA.

In order for the GSEs to exit conservatorship with the full faith and credit of the U.S., they would have to pay the Treasury a fee equal to the value of the government’s backing under the terms of their preferred stock purchase agreements.

“These are factually and legally complex cases and don’t trust anyone that thinks this is a slam dunk for any one of the parties,” predicted legal expert David Reiss.

On his LinkedIn page, Rowland notes that Carrington offers “compensation levels that are among the highest in the industry.”

Since that story appeared, we’ve talked to a few mortgage company CEOs who have said – tongue in cheek – that just about every mortgage firm is for sale.

As reported by IMFnews, the FHFA has yet to appoint a permanent chief executive and chairman for the CSP, formally known as Common Securitization Solutions.

So, what’s the biggest impediment to mortgage volumes taking off this spring? According to a new poll from Inside Mortgage Finance, it’s a lack of housing inventory.

One Stonegate Mortgage watcher we know called the company an “absolute no-brainer short,” noting that when the lender went public “it was overvalued."

Industry trade group officials and lobbyists anticipate that no meaningful progress will be made on housing and GSE reform legislation until 2017 after a new president and Congress are elected.

In case you didn’t notice, the price of Fannie and Freddie common rose about 5 percent Tuesday, after Watt spoke. In trading Wednesday, they were up again...