Secondary markets

BlackRock Inc. and other investors agreed to an $8.5 billion settlement with Bank of America Corp. over mortgage loans rather than risk litigation and the bankruptcy of its Countrywide Financial unit.

Most industry stocks were down by more percentage-wise than the Dow, but the most any one individual MIEC stock was down on the day was just 4.65%

Taylor Capital Group plans to enter the mortgage-servicing business through the purchase of servicing rights and facilities from Liberty Savings Bank.

Stonegate Mortgage Corp. is launching a fixed-rate jumbo loan product line through its retail offices and more than 700 approved third-party originators in 32 states.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note has surged in the past month as some Fed officials have said the Fed could slow bond purchases.

Fairholme Capital Management owns $2.4 billion in preferred stock of the two government-sponsored enterprises.

The settlement ends an effort by International Fund Management of Luxembourg, DekaBank of Germany, and other investors to recover losses.

Resolutions that had been contributing to lower late-pays previously dropped sharply during the month.

BNY Mellon has responded to a market practices group’s recommendation that exposures from forward-settling transactions, inclusive of agency mortgage-backed securities, be margined bilaterally.

Zais Financial Corp. has closed on a $150 million committed financing facility which it will use to purchase whole residential loans.

The Mortgage Bankers Association is pushing for reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would temporarily retain existing secondary market functions that accommodate smaller lenders but ultimately improve upon them.

Home Federal Savings & Loan of Nebraska has been selling loans to Freddie Mac for nearly 25 years and wants to continue doing so—but the government-sponsored enterprise is suddenly making it harder for the thrift to maintain the relationship.

Bank of America’s $8.5 billion settlement with mortgage-bond investors is set to be considered by a New York court two years after the lender struck the deal to resolve claims over home loans bundled into securities.

Loan acquisitions rose 8% from March to $77.3 billion in April and commitments to purchase new loans rose 4% in April to $87.5 billion.

Lloyds TSB proceeded with its sales of a portion of its $8.8 billion in legacy nonagency residential mortgage-backed securities paper, and has sold the paper to four different groups.

Ten-year Treasury yields rose as economic data boosted speculation the Federal Reserve may taper bond-buying.

REMN looks to meet the specific needs those institutions have when selling loans on a flow basis.

There has been a lot of speculation about a more full-fledged return of the jumbo securitization market.

Better performance of mortgage insurers this year is a credit positive for state housing finance agency single-family whole loan programs that rely on mortgage insurers to protect against mortgage defaults.

The Community Home Lenders Association has issued a set of principles that it hopes legislators will follow in reforming the housing finance system.