Secondary markets

Updates will become effective on May 1 and a uniform mortgage-backed securities fee reduction will begin on April 1.

Far bigger transactions were rumored to be brewing in line with megabank Wells Fargo's recent announcement it'll be reducing its portfolio.

For those willing to experiment with the strategy, it could be a long-term differentiator.

The latest month's volume was more than $20 billion lower than in March 2020.

The transactions, combined with news Wells Fargo will be shedding some mortgage servicing rights, add to indications that prices for investors may be more favorable this year.

Among its major accomplishments in the past year were an update to its Reference Model, the foundation for most of its standards.

MSR trading is picking up a little from its seasonal lull but values may not get as high as they did last year, some experts say.

The U.S. Supreme Court turned away four appeals from shareholders of the government-sponsored enterprises who said they were entitled to compensation after the Treasury collected more than $100 billion in profits from the government-sponsored enterprises.

The sector is not immune to the same economic instability that affects the single-family residential market, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Other investors could step into the breach as depositories depart, and the strain on nonconforming borrowers might not be that bad, recent forecasts suggest.