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Inside Nonconforming Markets

September 18, 2015

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Slow Going for Non-Agency MBS Reform But Players Stress Progress Is Being Made

Nearly a year has passed since the Structured Finance Industry Group released documents relating to the RMBS 3.0 project and the leader of the Treasury Department’s non-agency reform efforts left the Treasury in May. However, at the ABS East conference sponsored by Information Management Network this week in Miami, industry participants noted that progress is being made on both initiatives. Panel sessions on reforming the non-agency mortgage-backed securities markets have been a staple at industry conferences since 2008, and some observers question whether much progress has been made. “I think... Read More

Front-End Risk Transfer a GSE Reform Option

With a lack of consensus from industry participants, let alone members of Congress, regarding how to reform the government-sponsored enterprises, the risk-sharing transactions implemented by the GSEs in recent years are seen as one possible model for increasing private capital investment in the mortgage market. Stanford Kurland, chairman and CEO of PennyMac Financial Services, suggested that the predominant risk-sharing transactions used by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have significant limitations. In an opinion piece published last week in the American Banker, Kurland said front-end risk-sharing “should be a bridge to long-term reform.” The main risk-sharing efforts completed by the GSEs are... Read More

Non-Agency MBS of Little Concern for GSE CSP

The Common Securitization Platform currently under development for use by the government-sponsored enterprises has seen some twists and turns regarding potential use for non-agency mortgage-backed securities. Various officials working on the CSP stressed this week at the ABS East conference in Miami that the focus for the platform is activity by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. “The platform is adaptable, but our focus is on the enterprises,” said David Applegate, CEO of Common Securitization Solutions, the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac joint venture that is developing the CSP. At the conference produced by Information Management Network, he noted... Read More

IO Originations Increase Halfway Through 2015

Originations of interest-only mortgages increased at a number of lenders in the first half of 2015, according to a new ranking and analysis by Inside Nonconforming Markets. The federal qualified mortgage standard does not allow interest-only terms, and IO production declined after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau QM rule went into effect. Lately, however, many lenders seem to be getting more comfortable with the product. A group of 15 lenders had...[Includes one data table] Read More

U.S. Bank Among Few Increasing HEL Holdings

Bank and thrift holdings of home-equity-related loans declined in the second quarter of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, according to a new ranking from the Inside Mortgage Finance Bank Mortgage Database. Among the top 10 banks and thrifts in HEL business, only two increased their holdings in that span, led by U.S. Bank. Banks and thrifts had $962.74 billion in holdings of home-equity lines of credit, HELOC commitments and closed-end second liens at the end of the second quarter of 2015, down 1.2 percent from the previous quarter. HEL lending is up sharply this year, but new originations haven’t been enough to outpace declines in home-equity portfolios at most banks. U.S. Bank had...[Includes one data table] Read More

High Ratings for Select Portfolio Servicing

Select Portfolio Servicing is among the firms that demonstrate the highest standards in overall servicing ability, according to Fitch Ratings. The rating service released an assessment of Credit Suisse’s servicer last week, noting that SPS is a key component of Credit Suisse’s conduit operations. SPS handled an $86.04 billion portfolio as of the end of the second quarter of 2015, according to Fitch. The vast majority of the firm’s servicing involves non-agency mortgages, both vintage loans and newer mortgages included in jumbo mortgage-backed securities. Some 13.6 percent of SPS’s servicing volume at the end of June was classified as third-party servicing. The company has been servicing... Read More

Shareholder Lawsuits Involving Ocwen Dismissed

The recent dismissal of class-action shareholder lawsuits against Ocwen Financial suggests that it takes more than a sharp decline in a company’s stock for investors to prevail in court. In early September, a federal judge dismissed class-action lawsuits that were filed against Ocwen Financial, Altisource Portfolio Solutions and certain officials at the firms. United Union of Roofers v. Ocwen and West Palm Beach Firefighters Pension Fund v. Altisource were filed on behalf of investors that purchased stock in the companies between early 2013 and December 2014. In that span, the companies’ stock prices declined... Read More

News Briefs

Radian started offering two new mortgage insurance products this week, both of which include jumbo loans. The “super jumbo” product allows for loan-to-value ratios as high as 95 percent with a loan limit up to $850,000. The program requires a credit score of at least 720 and allows debt-to-income ratios as high as 43 percent. Radian’s Medical Professional Program is aimed... Read More

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