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Inside Mortgage Trends

July 11, 2014

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Nonbanks Gaining More GSE Market Share; Retail Channel Losing Steam

The rebound in new business at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the second quarter of 2014 was fueled by a hefty increase in purchase-mortgage activity, but it also featured clear shifts in the volume of loans coming from different kinds of lenders. A new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of loan-level data on mortgage-backed securities issued by the two government-sponsored enterprises shows that nonbank lenders continued to ... [Includes 3 data charts] Read More

FHFA Weighs Capital for Nonbank Servicers

By now, the word is out: the Federal Housing Finance Agency is exploring codifying capital minimums for nonbank servicers as a way to help Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac better manage counterparty risk. Industry officials tracking the topic told Inside Mortgage Trends they don’t believe the FHFA is necessarily worried about the capital positions of the big three nonbanks: Nationstar Mortgage, Ocwen Financial, and Walter Investment Management ... Read More

Walter Moves Toward ‘Capital-Light’ Model

Walter Investment Management took steps last week to transition to a business model that requires less capital by funding Walter Capital Opportunity and completing an excess servicing spread sale with WCO. WCO is a real estate investment trust that Walter formed in November to hold mortgage servicing rights. Last week, WCO acquired 70 percent of the excess servicing spread from a pool of loans serviced by Green Tree Servicing ... Read More

Borrowers Urged to Shop as Lenders Compete

The decline in refinance activity in the past year has prompted a closer look at differences in interest rates as lenders compete for borrowers. Lenders that don’t offer the lowest rate suggest that there’s more to the mortgage decision than just a low interest rate, particularly because rates are at historic lows. LendingTree, a firm that allows potential borrowers to compare loan offers, recently launched an ongoing study to track the difference between ... Read More

How Big Is That Non-QM Market?

The next gold rush in the mortgage industry may be home loans that fall outside the legal safe harbor for qualified mortgages under new rules that took effect in January. And like any bonanza, it’s hard to tell how big the mother lode is. According to Deutsche Bank Securities, it could be a staggering $600 billion a year, but that estimate comes with a lot of caveats. For starters, Deutsche Bank estimated that about $52 billion of 2013 mortgage originations were ... Read More

Rising Production May Mean More Jobs

Mortgage professionals continue to face a tough job market, but they can still find gainful employment depending on what their position is. No one is completely secure in the current economic environment, although mortgage brokers and loan officers may have the best standing. “Demand for key talent has suddenly spiked,” said Rick Glass, a principal in R.T. Glass & Associates of California, a mortgage recruiting firm. Mortgage brokerage firms added ... Read More

New Jersey Lender Exits Retail Mortgage Business

Sun Bancorp, a $3.5 billion banking institution in New Jersey, is leaving the retail mortgage banking business and cutting back on direct home-equity lending due to declining profitability and tighter regulation. The moves are part of a comprehensive plan presented by Thomas O’Brien, Sun Bancorp’s new president and chief executive officer, who was brought on board as a consultant in April to restructure the company and ... [Includes one data chart] Read More

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