Finance

Mr. Cooper Group — the new name following the combination of Nationstar Mortgage and WMIH Corp. — posted a $54 million third-quarter profit and announced plans to buy Pacific Union Financial, as well as make other strategic acquisitions.

Continued diversification of its business lines and better margins in its securitization activities helped Redwood Trust overcome steep mortgage origination declines and post nearly 14% annual growth in net income during the third quarter.

Ocwen Financial Corp. recorded a deeper quarterly loss of $40 million after acquiring PHH Corp., but still expects the deal's economies of scale to eventually lower costs and restore profitability.

While the foreclosure crisis is over and federal regulators are being less assertive on enforcement actions, mortgage servicers must remain vigilant about compliance, as state agencies are stepping up their own oversight, according to Standard & Poor's.

Although forecasts anticipate a continuing drop in overall originations, private-label residential mortgage-backed securitizations backed by newer loans are expected to keep increasing through next year, according to Bank of America.

Returns on mortgage-backed securities in October lagged Treasuries by 37 basis points, the most since November 2016.

A low-rated segment of an index that most closely tracks the performance of U.S. mall mortgage loans saw its biggest decline in more than a year in October.

The unique approach Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are each taking with their credit-risk transfer products is quickly becoming a key point of differentiation that's rekindling competition between the government-sponsored enterprises.

Laurel Davis, VP, credit risk transfer at Fannie Mae, explains why the switch to a REMIC structure for CAS is important, and why it took so long.

Goldman Sachs is getting closer to hitting its $1.8 billion consumer relief obligation as outlined in mortgage settlement agreements between the U.S. Department of Justice and three states.

Walker & Dunlop acquired commercial mortgage banker iCap Realty Advisors as part of its strategic plan to increase its annual originations by at least one-third in the next two years.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac transferred a substantial amount of credit risk to the private sector through both single-family and multifamily market transactions in the first half of the year, with activity expected to rise in 2019, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

New Residential Investment Corp. expects to raise $433 million from a follow-on offering of 25 million shares of its common stock it priced on Nov 1.

The $571 million transaction is backed by 915 loans originated from 2002 and 2008 that Waterfall Asset Management acquired over eight years.

When the mortgage giant will be released from government control is anyone's guess, but the company's third-quarter report shows signs of an easier transition.

Earnings at four of the private mortgage insurers increased significantly over last year's third quarter even as total mortgage origination volume shrunk during the same time frame.

Lennar Corp. is selling a portion of its Rialto business to Stone Point Capital for $340 million, adding to Stone Point's holdings in the real estate and financial industries.

Black Knight's third-quarter net earnings were slightly below the same period last year, although total revenue increased by 7% compared with one year prior.

The structure reduces counterparty risk in the GSE's benchmark Connecticut Avenue Securities program; it also expands the investor base.

QRL Financial Services, the mortgage outsourcing division of First Federal Bank of Florida, is the latest investor to seek out better secondary market execution by purchasing electronic notes from correspondents.