Qualified Mortgages

Securitized loans originated outside the Qualified-Mortgage rule's parameters have looser underwriting guidelines than mainstream loans do today, but are more tightly underwritten than past subprime or alternative-A products, according to DBRS.

New FHFA Director Mark Calabria isn't just charting a future for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but also fixing problems resulting from the "qualified mortgage" exemption for the GSEs and taking a "deep dive" into problems in the mortgage servicing market.

Non-qualified mortgage-backed securities record issuance in the first quarter puts it on pace to top full-year volume predictions, according to Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

Absent some policy change, nearly a third of the loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Qualified Mortgage rule in two years.

As 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose 30 basis points year-over-year, non-QM originations are estimated to grow 400% in 2019.

Bank jumbo mortgage underwriting standards weakened in the third quarter by the most in three years and as profitability remains under pressure, loosening should continue at an accelerated pace, a Moody's report said.

Although forecasts anticipate a continuing drop in overall originations, private-label residential mortgage-backed securitizations backed by newer loans are expected to keep increasing through next year, according to Bank of America.

Fund manager Varde Partners wants to grow its partnerships with lenders and servicers interested in selling off their excess mortgage servicing rights.

New investor appetite for mortgages over $1 million is motivating more nonbank lenders to offer super jumbo loans, often with weaker credit terms than traditional banks.

Some collateral attributes, such as non-full documentation and a high percentage of non-QM and HPQM loans, fall slightly outside the credit box seen in other recent prime transactions, according to Fitch.

The collateral includes both QM and non-QM loans; however, certain loans are designated as QM even though the borrower’s DTI may be above 43%, due to a temporary exemption for GSE-eligible loans.

Since its inception, the qualified mortgage rule has been synonymous with loans purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac or guaranteed by government agencies. But a broader QM definition could change that by creating more competitive private-label options.

Anticipated changes to the qualified mortgage rule will give lenders more options and force them to rethink their views on risk.

Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney suggested that digital mortgages should be held to different standards than ones originated by credit unions and banks.

After originating more than $1 billion in loans outside the ability-to-repay rule's Qualified Mortgage safe harbor last year, Angel Oak is planning to originate at least twice that in 2018.

Lenders should not get so desperate chasing volume by originating lower credit non-qualified mortgage products that they are inviting the next regulatory crackdown, said David Stevens, the Mortgage Bankers Association's CEO.

The acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can utilize "look-backs" of mortgage servicing and underwriting rules to push for significant changes.

The $401.2 million COLT 2018-1 is the eighth overall securitization of non-qualified jumbo mortgages issued by the Lone Star Funds affiliate.

Impac Mortgage Holdings' nonqualified mortgage origination volume increased 248% year-over-year in the third quarter as the company accumulates loans for a planned securitization next year.

American International Group is accessing the securitized market through a Credit Suisse deal backed by loans that were generally originated less than a year after TRID.