Bank of America mid-week told its retail loan officers nationwide that the lender will halt, for now, originations of cash-out refinancings, citing what it calls a “surge of refinancing activity” and capacity problems.

It appears that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are starting to see their market shares erode. The same might be said of Ginnie Mae.According to figures compiled by ASR sister publication National Mortgage News, the three mortgage guarantors accounted for 84.54% of originations in the third quarter, compared to 91.75% in 2Q.

Robust attendance is expected at the American Securitization Forum's (ASF) ASF 2012 to be held in Las Vegas' ARIA hotel and convention center starting this Sunday, Jan 22. The conference will last until Wednesday, Jan 25.

Moody’s Investors Service made some drastic cuts today in the ratings of Greek structured finance deals, significantly shortening the distance between the highest rated transactions and the sovereign.

Student loan giant Sallie Mae, which has had a difficult few years, reported lower delinquencies and charge-offs, and declining operating expenses, helped fuel a 14% rise in fourth quarter earnings, to $511 million.

The overall character of the mortgage loans backing Redwood Trust's latest RMBS were consistent with "high-quality underwriting," said Standard & Poor's in an unsolicited commentary on the transaction.

The head of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is calling on his brethren at other trade groups to work together with MBA to forge coordinated policies to “reestablish a vibrant” housing finance system in the U.S.Speaking to financial services executives and lobbyists at the Exchequer Club on Wednesday, MBA president Dave Stevens said Congress and the Obama Administration continue to take a haphazard approach to reviving the housing market.

Ginnie Mae is in the process of hiring at least 40 new employees, which would increase the secondary market agency's staff by one-third.

Goldman Sachs has offered initial price guidance on certain slices of a $400 million CLO it is arranging for Ares Management, according to reports.

Moody's Investors Service has just released a Request for Comment (RFC) that describes its proposed approach to rating ABS backed by U.S. FFELP student loans.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has sold $7.014 billion worth of assets from its Maiden Lane II (ML II) portfolio via a competitive process to Credit Suisse.

The Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank, plans to shed roughly €2 billion ($2.6 billion) of distressed property loans tied to the Lehman Brothers' debacle, according to a Financial Times report today.