Elina Tarkazikis

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac transferred a substantial amount of credit risk to the private sector through both single-family and multifamily market transactions in the first half of the year, with activity expected to rise in 2019, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The 30-day delinquency rate dropped to a low not seen in over a decade in July, but foreclosure starts also increased to a three-month high.

The agency said the market for larger rental investors may not need additional liquidity from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's practice of "regulation by enforcement" and use of nonbinding guidance materials makes its regulatory efforts "unfair and ineffective" to lenders and servicers, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Test your knowledge of the secondary mortgage market with this quiz of key industry abbreviations.

Conforming loan limits for mortgages bought by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will increase for the second consecutive year in response to the rapid rise in home prices, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said.

Commercial and multifamily originations are projected to surpass the 2007 market peak this year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Nearly 1.4 million residential properties were vacant as of the end of the third quarter, representing 1.58% of all U.S. residential properties, according to Attom Data Solutions.

The CFPB's practice of "regulation by enforcement" forces mortgage companies to develop compliance standards based on the mistakes of their peers, rather than clear guidance from the enforcement agency, said David Motley, the new chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association.

JPMorgan Chase reported a rise in value of its mortgage servicing rights despite lower originations in this year's third quarter.