Origination

The loans have better-than-average credit and home equity metrics, according to Standard & Poor's. The deal lacks fraud-related representations and warranties, but all loans are performing, DBRS finds.

As Fannie Mae reports another big profit and the repayment of its government bailout, key questions remain about the size of taxpayers’ return and the mortgage giant’s business model.

Sales of previously owned homes dropped in January to the lowest level in more than a year as harsh winter weather combined with a lack of supply, tight credit and declining affordability slowed demand.

Lenders must give these to consumers who apply for home equity lines of credit and adjustable rate mortgages.

After eight straight profitable quarters and record annual income, Fannie Mae's dividend payments to the U.S. Treasury now exceed the bailout funds it's received since 2008.

The giant servicer wants third-party property sellers to use its online auction portal.

The Mortgage Bankers Association is trying "to get the regulators to just be aware of where one rule conflicts with another," says the trade group's president, David Stevens.

Lower volumes and increased regulation are leading more lenders to consider outsourcing. But the savings and compliance improvements must outweigh increased liability for contractors and a rise in offshore prices.

Once written off as an endangered species, nonbank home lenders are making a comeback in the third-party origination businesses abandoned by banks since the financial crisis.

Mortgage rates for 30-year loans climbed for a second week, cutting into affordability as the housing recovery shows signs of cooling.