IMFnews

GSE Purchase-Mortgage Volume With Private MI Gains Share

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:59:00 -0400

On average, loan-to-value ratios and debt-to-income ratios are much higher for GSE purchase mortgages with private MI compared with loans that don’t carry MI.

PrimeLending Loss Narrows in 1Q

jdohnert@imfpubs.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:58:00 -0400

Higher origination volume and expanded gain-on-sale margins helped PrimeLending reduce losses in the first quarter.

Agency MBS Investors See Better Days Ahead

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:57:00 -0400

Market technicals for agency MBS are currently the most favorable they’ve been since the Fed ended quantitative easing in 2022, according to David Finkelstein, CEO and co-CIO at Annaly Capital Management.

Lawmakers Push to Stop BTR Housing Sales Mandate

jdohnert@imfpubs.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:56:00 -0400

Representatives in Congress called on leadership to remove a provision in the Senate-passed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that mandates investors sell single-family build-to-rent housing.

Short Takes: Lock-In Loosening / Another Agency MBS REIT Takes Loss / Tax Refunds Help Lower DQs / Prepayments Rise in March

jdohnert@imfpubs.com — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:55:00 -0400

A third of its homeseller clients have rates below 5%, Coldwell Banker says.

GSEs, FHA Moving Forward With New Credit Scores

dhollier@imfpubs.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:59:00 -0400

The GSEs will accept VantageScore 4.0 on a pilot basis. FHA will follow at a later date, along with plans for the GSEs and FHA to allow for use of FICO 10T.

Delinquency Recovery Less Robust in First Quarter of 2026

bivey@imfpubs.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:58:00 -0400

The main difference in 2026 was that later-stage delinquencies increased.

Fannie Economists Revise Rate Forecast Sharply Higher

bivey@imfpubs.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:57:00 -0400

Now, the economists project that the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will decline to only 6.1% in the fourth quarter.

Mortgage Complaints to CFPB Increase in First Quarter

sclark@imfpubs.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:56:00 -0400

Increases were recorded across all four complaint categories, covering both servicing and originations.

Short Takes: Adverse Selection Risk? / New Pricing From FICO / Pulte Defers to Trump on GSE Reform / SoFi Offering HELOCs

bivey@imfpubs.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:55:00 -0400

FHFA Director Bill Pulte dismissed concerns about adverse selection risk tied to the optionality for lenders on FICO scores and VantageScore.

Depository Share of GSE Servicing Increases in 1Q

dhollier@imfpubs.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:59:00 -0400

According to a new analysis by Inside The GSEs, depositories serviced 38.2% of the loans in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities at the end of the first quarter of 2026, up from a 38.0% share at the end of 2025.

Margins Increase at AmeriHome Owner in First Quarter

bivey@imfpubs.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:58:00 -0400

Western Alliance generated a gain-on-sale margin of 37 basis points in the first quarter, up from a 30-bp margin the previous quarter.

Brokers Look to Reduce Credit Report Costs

ewilley@imfpubs.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:57:00 -0400

The Brokers Action Coalition is proposing to reduce the number of pulls by allowing borrowers to take their credit reports with them when they shop for mortgages.

Annaly Turns Profit in First Quarter Despite Agency MBS Issues

bivey@imfpubs.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:56:00 -0400

Annaly’s income dropped by 71.5% compared with the fourth quarter. But the real estate investment trust was profitable while other REITs that focus on agency MBS have posted losses for the first quarter.

Short Takes: Mortgage Applications Increase / Pending Home Sales Down on Annual Basis in March / Sale Prices Down at D.R. Horton / Confidence Score for AVM Estimates

bivey@imfpubs.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:55:00 -0400

Applications for both purchase mortgages and refinances increased last week as interest rates declined.

Non-Agency MBS Issuance Hits Post-Crisis High in 1Q

jbancroft@imfpubs.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:59:00 -0400

A total of $69.89 billion of non-agency MBS came to market in the first three months of the year, a 34.8% increase from the fourth quarter.

ECOA Final Rule From CFPB Unchanged Following Proposal

sclark@imfpubs.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:58:00 -0400

Mortgage industry participants largely backed the proposed rule while consumer advocates had strong opposition.

AGNC Takes Loss in First Quarter With Agency MBS Volatility

bivey@imfpubs.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:57:00 -0400

Changes in the fair value of agency mortgage-backed securities led to a $148 million loss at AGNC Investment in the first quarter of 2026.

NTEU Opposes Rushed Review of CFPB Layoff Plan

sclark@imfpubs.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:56:00 -0400

NTEU argues that the appeals court should allow the district court to review the staffing plan, but without a specific deadline.

Short Takes: Key Factor for Agency MBS Investors / Home Price Appreciation Losing Steam / Two Harbors Sets Date for CCM Approval / New Non-Agency MBS Issuer

bivey@imfpubs.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:55:00 -0400

“Government policy is squarely in the driver seat, defining and driving outcomes,” said Smriti Popenoe, co-CEO and president of Dynex Capital.

Bulk Agency MSR Sales Slow Down After 4Q Mergers

jbancroft@imfpubs.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:59:00 -0400

A new Inside Mortgage Trends analysis showed a total of $164.28 billion of agency MSR changed hands in the first three months of the new year, down 84.1% from the prior quarter.

Agency MBS Investor Dynex Swings to Loss in First Quarter

bivey@imfpubs.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:58:00 -0400

Officials at Dynex said the poor performance was due to widening mortgage spreads during the later stage of the first quarter.

FHLBanks Push for Regulatory Reforms

dhollier@imfpubs.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:57:00 -0400

The Council of FHLBanks signaled strong support for the Trump administration’s recent executive order for a more favorable regulatory environment for community banks.

Homeownership Feels Out of Reach for Many Military Homebuyers

jdohnert@imfpubs.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:56:00 -0400

More than half of survey respondents held at least one misconception about VA home loans, including about 30% that weren't aware that the loans require no downpayment.

Short Takes: Homeowners Choose Remodels Over Moving / Renting Cheaper Than Buying Across Major Metros / NFTYDoor Becomes Independent Company / Maine Signs Bill on HEIs

jdohnert@imfpubs.com — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:55:00 -0400

Renters save an average of $920 per month compared to buyers.

Ginnie Drives Growth in Agency Servicing in First Quarter

jbancroft@imfpubs.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:59:00 -0400

Ginnie posted a 1.3% quarterly gain in servicing outstanding to $2.726 trillion at the end of March, not including servicing of home-equity conversion mortgages.

REIT MBS Investors Took Hits With Volatility in 1Q

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:58:00 -0400

The book value for a large group of real estate investment trusts that focus on mortgage-backed securities declined by an average of 5.1% during the first quarter of 2026, according to projections by analysts at Citizens JMP Securities.

PIMCO Cites Issues With Trump Admin’s Affordability Efforts

dhollier@imfpubs.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:57:00 -0400

The PIMCO team criticized one of the most popular proposals for lowering the cost of a mortgage: reducing the guarantee fees charged by the GSEs.

Margins Improve on Originations at Fifth Third in 1Q

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:56:00 -0400

Fifth Third Bank generated a gain-on-sale margin from mortgages of 1.47% during the third quarter of 2026.

Short Takes: Stable Ratings for GSEs / Truist Bucks Trend in Originations / Shakeup at Dark Matter / Agentic Reasoning Engine

bivey@imfpubs.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:55:00 -0400

“While speculation continues around the potential privatization of the government-sponsored enterprises, Morningstar DBRS does not view any changes to [their] status as likely for the length of the credit rating outlook period given the complexities and potential consequences of such an action, especially considering the current macroeconomic environment,” the rating service said.