RMBS

Mortgage application activity was essentially flat in the week ending Feb. 24 as an increase in purchase activity was offset by a slight decline in refinancing activity.The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported the Purchase Index jumped 8.2% to 175.The Refinance Index declined 2.2% to ~4225 with the share of refinancing applications as a percent of total applications falling to 77.9% from 80.1%. This is the lowest share since the beginning of December 2011.

JPMorgan Chase told a federal court in Wichita, Kan., that it should reject National Credit Union Administration 's (NCUA) claims regarding $1.4 billion of MBS sold to four failed corporate credit unions and dismiss the suit without even allowing for discovery.

After months of pressure from Congress and consumer advocates, the Federal Reserve Board released new details Monday about how mortgage servicers plan to follow regulatory directives that they improve their foreclosure systems.

The recently unveiled HARP 2.0 initiative should be “fully” operational in 30 days and is already exceeding expectations, according to Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary Shaun Donovan.

During a pair of appearances Tuesday on Capitol Hill, top housing officials from the Obama administration sought to reassure members of Congress about the financial condition of the Federal Housing Administration.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York announced the sale of the rest of the securities in the Maiden Lane II LLC (ML II) portfolio.

Wells Fargo & Co. unveiled specific new terms in the national mortgage servicing settlement on Tuesday, providing the most detailed summary to date of what concessions banks did and did not win from federal and state officials.

Freddie Mac announced a new offering of its multifamily MBS called Structured Pass-Through Certificates.

Traccr has said that a structured products specialist Swiss client has executed a $5 million bespoke credit-linked note (CLN) through the firm's electronic platform.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is following through with its pledge to increase upfront and annual insurance premiums on its forward single-family business.