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Inside Mortgage Finance

January 7, 2016

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GSE Business Volume Slumped in 4Q15 as Purchase-Mortgage Market Hit Seasonal Skid

New issuance of single-family mortgage-backed securities by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2015 despite a December rebound in monthly volume, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance analysis and ranking. The two government-sponsored enterprises issued $179.01 billion of single-family MBS during the final three months of 2015, a 19.9 percent drop from the third quarter. It was the weakest level of new business for the GSEs since the second quarter of 2014. A faltering purchase-mortgage market was...[Includes three data tables] Read More

TRID Phobia Causing Headaches in the Secondary Market? MBA Cites a 100 Percent Rejection Rate by One Investor

Although the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently issued a “clarifying” letter on errors tied to the so-called TRID integrated disclosure rule, deep concerns remain among originators that fund non-agency product for sale into the secondary market. Moreover, according to interviews conducted by Inside Mortgage Finance over the past week, some nonbank lenders are seeing noticeable increases in origination costs because loans are taking longer to close and therefore remain on warehouse lines for an extended period of time. Because nonbanks fund almost all of their production using warehouse credit, the implication boils down... Read More

Industry Continues to Appeal to CFPB for TRID Clarifications as Evidence Mounts of Closing Delays

Mortgage industry representatives are meeting this week with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray in another attempt to squeeze out additional clarification to help lenders comply with the bureau’s integrated disclosure rule, which took effect Oct. 3, 2015. The ambiguity and confusion engendered by the rule continues to contribute to mortgage closing delays throughout the country, according to many top industry officials. Executives of the Independent Community Bankers of America were scheduled... Read More

Quicken to Request Shifting FCA Case to Detroit After Dismissal of Its Lawsuit Against DOJ, HUD-OIG

Quicken Loans is considering its next move – possibly a change of litigation venue – following last week’s ruling by a Michigan federal district court dismissing the lender’s lawsuit against the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Justice Department for failure to state a claim. The lawsuit, which challenged the DOJ’s use of the False Claim Act and HUD’s use of statistical sampling in post-endorsement loan reviews, was filed in April 2015, a week before the DOJ sued Quicken for allegedly filing false claims on FHA mortgages and other violations. Quicken’s lawsuit claimed... Read More

With Their Stocks in the Tank, Two Large Nonbanks Roll Out Debt Offerings and Plans to Buy Back Stock

PHH Corp. and Nationstar Mortgage – both top 10 ranked residential servicers – recently filed to sell debt securities, an odd situation for two companies struggling with low share valuations amid a lack of confidence among both investors and stock analysts. The lender/servicers also have unveiled stock buyback programs, though such announcements usually represent a desire to do so, and not a contractual obligation. PHH’s Form S-3 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission offers... Read More

GAO Finds that Mortgage Data Doesn’t Fit Lenders’ Rhetoric on Burdens from DFA

Warnings of doom and gloom about rules mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act from groups representing community banks and credit unions have yet to come to fruition, according to the Government Accountability Office. In a report released last week, the GAO examined the impact certain DFA-related regulations have had on community banks and credit unions. The GAO said...[Includes one data table] Read More

Bank Sales of MSRs Expected to Slow in 2016, Use of Subservicers Could Increase

A surge in sales of mortgage servicing rights by banks to nonbanks is likely over, according to industry analysts. As regulatory oversight remains a concern, the use of subservicing is expected to increase, with troubled loans handled by specialists. “The frequency of MSR transfers will remain low, even though buyer interest in MSR transfers may rise from 2015 levels,” according to analysts at Moody’s Investors Service. Analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch added... Read More

Marketplace Lending Faces an Unpredictable Future, But Regulatory Challenges Are Likely

It’s too soon to tell whether marketplace lending will disrupt traditional mortgage lending, but analysts such as Freddie Mac economist Sean Becketti predict that the alternative, Internet-based lending structure will have an impact. “Will marketplace lenders become an Uber-like disruptive force in consumer lending, or are they simply old-fashioned consumer lending dressed up for the Internet?” asked Becketti. “It's too soon to tell.” But the swift growth of the industry, coupled with its emphasis on Internet outreach and novel underwriting practices, has led... Read More

Radian Asserts Compliance as PMIERs Became Effective, Other MIs Confident They Will Meet Capital Requirements

Radian Guaranty became the first among seven private mortgage insurers to declare compliance with the regulatory capital standards under the Private Mortgage Insurer Eligibility Requirements (PMIERs), while other MIs expressed confidence they will meet those same requirements. Radian met its PMIERs goals after receiving $325 million in cash and marketable securities from its parent Radian Group in exchange for a surplus note. In addition, the parent firm contributed $50 million to an exclusive affiliated reinsurer of Radian Guaranty. Radian Group expects... Read More

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