Origination

Whether the U.S. is in an economic recovery or not is debatable. But things are easing for many small businesses; even mortgage originators with a purchase orientation are seeing signs of better times ahead.

Moody's Investors Service this week downgraded its ratings on $8.2 billion of prime jumbo MBS issued by Wells Fargo & Co., while affirming some of its ratings.

Mortgage lenders issued $24.1 billion of Government National Mortgage Association-backed MBS in March, an 8% decline from February, and a sign of slowing volume in the FHA/VA market.

Auction.com plans to put out for bid at least two commercial real estate loan packages per month for the next three months totaling more than $1.86 billion.

Although total originations fell by about 13% last year, mortgage bankers funded almost $38 billion of interest-only mortgages in 2010, an 8% increase from the prior year, according to figures compiled by National Mortgage News.

Single-family housing starts unexpectedly jumped 7.7% in March and the government revised upward its estimates of building activity in February and January by 23,000 units.

Fannie Mae has declared war on so called "side agreements" that lenders have worked out with mortgage insurers to reduce their exposure to loan buybacks.

Sandler O'Neill on Monday reduced its price target on Genworth Financial to $13 a share (from $15), citing problems with the company's mortgage insurance division.

The National Association of Independent Housing Professionals is giving up — for now — in its court battle against the Federal Reserve Board to block the agency's just implemented loan officer compensation rule.

JPMorgan Chase plans to sell a $1.5 billion B-piece offering to Torchlight Investors, according to a Bloomberg report.