Capital markets

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin's plan to remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government control could mean increased competition for lenders' loans. But it could also prompt a rise in mortgage rates.

Some banks are set to get a fourth-quarter earnings boost from their MSR portfolios, thanks to a sudden spike in yields on Treasury bonds. Add to that the prospect of further rate hikes and the potential dismantling of Basel III, and more banks could be encouraged to re-enter the servicing business.

Arch Capital Group plans to offer $950 million of senior notes, using the proceeds to fund a portion of its acquisition of United Guaranty Corp. and AIG United Guaranty Insurance (Asia) Ltd. from AIG.

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin wasted no time Wednesday wading into one of the thorniest debates in the financial services arena, saying the Trump administration would seek to end government control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Much like President-elect Donald Trump himself, expected Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin represents something of a question mark for bankers when it comes to his agenda.

Mortgage bankers are anxiously waiting to see who President-elect Donald Trump will pick as the next Treasury secretary. Several prominent names have been floated for the job, though with every passing day, a new possible choice seems to pop up. Following is a look at the current crop of candidates and their chances.

Freddie Mac has published a list of companies that meet its requirements regarding the creation, signing and storage of electronic promissory notes.

FirstKey Mortgage is marketing its fifth portfolio consisting primarily of formerly troubled first-lien residential mortgages that have rebounded to reperforming status.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency's choice to raise conforming loan limits in 2016 for the first time in a decade is being met with enthusiasm from the mortgage industry, as it should prove to be a positive for future origination volume.

The average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage this week topped 4% for the first time since 2015 as 10-year Treasury yields continued their post-election climb, according to Freddie Mac.

The maximum baseline conforming loan limit in 2017 is being increased to $424,100 by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The multifamily lending caps for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will stay the same as they were in 2016 next year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced.

Renewable Funding, emboldened by the success of its first three trips to the securitization market, is preparing to finance an even larger portion of its lending for energy efficiency upgrades.

Ally Financial has agreed to pay $52 million to settle probes and claims related to its role as the underwriter for subprime mortgage-backed securities in 2006 and 2007.

The U.S. economy is expected to continue growing modestly in 2017, but the unknown about policies to be enacted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration pose both upside and downside risks, according to Fannie Mae.

While nonbank servicers are expected to continue to gain greater market share in 2017, much of that growth will come from their own loan origination activity rather than mortgage servicing rights purchases and subservicing, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

John Paulson went long on Donald Trump when much of Wall Street went short. Now, he's reaping the rewards.

Fannie Mae said Thursday it obtained reinsurance on another $11.7 billion of residential mortgages through its Credit Insurance Risk Transfer of the year.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury Note will be 2.5% to 2.75% a year from now if President-elect Donald Trump pushes through his proposed tax cuts and fiscal-spending policies, said Michael Kushma, chief investment officer for global fixed income at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

As the Justice Department winds down its Mortgage Fraud Task Force and a new administration prepares to enter the White House, the number of False Claims Act cases brought against Federal Housing Administration lenders is expected to dwindle.