Secondary markets

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is calling for reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, promising it will be a priority if he wins the November election.

Smaller mortgage bankers are using different channels—retail, wholesale and correspondent—to add market share.

Examining the arguments, both pro and con regarding advising consumers to refinance right now.

Standard & Poor’s Corp. said it could change up to 744 U.S. and Canadian commercial mortgage-backed securities ratings.

Third-party lender Stonegate Mortgage has purchased warehouse provider NattyMac.

The FHFA study on single-family g-fees shows the fees paid by the five largest lenders averaged 26 basis points by yearend 2011, up 5 bps from the first quarter.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase their loan guarantee fees by an average of 10 basis points starting Nov. 1.

Let it be said as Labor Day approaches: Without Uncle Sam there would be NO mortgage market. None. Zippo

Springleaf Financial said it has “adequate liquidity” to survive over the next 12 months, and is seeing smaller losses on its business.

Fannie Mae acquired $77.1 billion of product from its seller/servicers in July, almost double what it took in a year ago.

Almost 30% of all refinances are shorter amortization products, up from just 5% in 2007.

The new platform of the Republican Party calls for downsizing the Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance program and winding down the “size and scope” of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s secondary market activities.

Insurers investing in nonagency mortgage securitizations could face new rules requiring them to hold more capital against such investments.

The bankruptcy court is still trying to sell $30.8 billion of Freddie Mac mortgage servicing rights once owned by the now-defunct Taylor, Bean & Whitaker.

Citigroup will pay $590 million to settle a class action civil suit brought by investors seeking damages from the bank’s exposure to subprime MBS.

Following a series of regulatory and legal challenges to force-placed insurance, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked Assurant, the leading specialty insurance carrier, to quantify the potential financial impact.

Mark Adelson, a veteran mortgage-backed securities researcher and former chief credit officer at Standard & Poor’s, has left his research post at S&P

Any quarter now Fannie Mae will crank up its nonperforming loan auction machine, giving bottom fishers across America a chance to bid on billions of dollars in nonperforming mortgages guaranteed by Uncle Sam.

The Mortgage Industry Advisory Corp. is set to auction off $59.2 million of subprime residential mortgages—much of it performing.

Mortgage bankers issued $32 billion of Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities in July down almost 8% from June. Still, the market remains strong.