Secondary markets

Commercial mortgage-backed securities risk as measured by an index of underwriting and macroeconomic variables is up 11 points from 2013. That's still below its 2007 level, a researcher noted Thursday.

A bankruptcy court judge sunk investors' hopes in their latest lawsuit against Lehman Brothers, which they claim broke contracts in junk mortgage-backed securities sold during the bubble years.

New Residential Mortgage priced $504 million of bonds backed by a pool of mostly reperforming residential mortgages, according to Standard & Poor's.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt's decision Thursday to stand up the affordable housing trust funds sharply divided lawmakers along party lines, with Democrats welcoming the decision as overdue while Republicans denounced it as a mistake.

The Steve Fraser Visionary Award is a lifetime achievement award that honors the accomplishments of an outstanding mortgage technology innovator, visionary or evangelizer. Learn about this year's finalists and see who won the 2014 MT Award.

After a six-year delay, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will finally begin setting aside a portion of their revenues to fund the development of rental housing for low-income families.

Radian Group Inc. is seeking to sell bond insurer Radian Asset and Assured Guaranty or MBIA may turn out to be the buyer.

Fannie Mae, risk sharing, private capital, reinsurers.

State housing finance authorities will deleverage their bond programs, build equity and improve financial ratios, according to Fitch Ratings.

Funding for housing counseling represents a minuscule fraction of total spending on housing-related initiatives. Still, some question whether taxpayers are getting the best bang for their buck.

Consumers were more optimistic about their ability to buy a home in November compared to the previous month, according to Fannie Mae.

Mel Watt, down payment, homeownership, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA

Fannie said it will immediately begin accepting applications for fixed-rate 97% loan-to-value financing of borrowers with FICO scores as low as 620. Freddie, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach, delaying the start of the program, requiring credit counseling, and in some cases only allowing FICO scores as low as 660.

With some proposals still outstanding, mortgage bond market participants are concerned that eminent domain attempts would spread if a municipality makes inroads with a proposal.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have set terms for letting borrowers put down as little as 3% of a home's cost to get mortgages, a step criticized by Republican lawmakers as a return to risky lending.

Officials at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae all heaped praise on nonbank mortgage lenders for stepping up to provide loans for home purchases at a time when many banks have scaled back.

Investors should buy Assured Guaranty shares on the prospect that the bond insurer acquires a unit from mortgage guarantor Radian Group, analysts from Macquarie Group said.

Six years after a global financial crisis exacerbated by the lack of transparency in the market for U.S. mortgage debt, regulators are planning only a small step toward offering the public more information on trading.