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Securitizations that involve commercial mortgages are increasingly dropping loans from their pools before the final transactions close, according to Fitch Ratings.

The Morgan Stanley settlement follows a similar agreement with Barclays Capital in October that resulted in a recovery of $325 million.

Mortgage applications for new homes declined in November, although not as sharp a drop as is typical for this time of year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Moody's said it has acquired BlackBox Logic, a Denver-based residential mortgage-backed securities data technology company, for an undisclosed amount of cash.

Mortgage rates rose for the week ending Dec. 10, on optimism tied to job growth and a possible rate hike by the Federal Reserve this month, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage lenders said their per-loan profits declined 19% in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Loan limits for the Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance program in 2016 will rise in 188 counties across the nation where home prices increased.

High loan-to-value ratio lending is gaining ground, spurred by the reintroduction 12 months ago of GSE-backed products that only require a 3% down payment, according to Black Knight Financial Services.

Fannie Mae has updated its underwriter servicing tool to make it easier for servicers to determine the eligibility of distressed homeowners for a loan modification.

Freddie Mac has sold about $1.1 billion of seriously delinquent loans serviced by Wells Fargo.