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The Institutional Risk Analyst
© 2003-2025 | Whalen Global Advisors LLC All Rights Reserved in All Media | ISSN 2692-1812
Banks | Markets | Finance


Memo to Bill Pulte and Scott Turner: How to Make Housing More Affordable
A more efficient mortgage backed securities market benefits everyone by lowering mortgage rates and making home ownership more affordable.
R. Christopher Whalen
3 days ago6 min read
498 views


Housing Finance Outlook | Q2 2025
There is an old rule on Wall Street that industry sectors like airlines and auto manufacturers are trades rather than investments...
R. Christopher Whalen
Mar 1611 min read
982 views


Silicon Valley and the Large Bank Dead Pool
When you see a bank with more than 10% of total assets in MBS, that's a big red flag in our book.
R. Christopher Whalen
Mar 97 min read
656 views

Credit Teeters as President Trump Roars
When President Donald Trump says that interest rates are too high, he may not fully understand just how right he is about the cost of credit
R. Christopher Whalen
Jan 276 min read
859 views


Capital Confusion at Ginnie Mae & Mortgage Servicing Rights
Ginnie Mae would rather have issuers raise the NPV of the MSR in cash today than take the price risk of holding the whole MSR through time.
R. Christopher Whalen
Jun 26, 20246 min read
648 views

TCBI v Ginnie Mae Goes to Trial | Outlook for Commercial & Residential Mortgage Finance
McCargo's actions and the fact that the case has not been dismissed in its entirety is very unhelpful given current market conditions.
R. Christopher Whalen
Apr 21, 20247 min read
1,279 views

Comments on Basel III Endgame
The Basel III proposal reflects a view of financial risks facing US banks that is decades out of date and ignores market risk
R. Christopher Whalen
Jan 3, 20243 min read
755 views

Texas Capital Bank v Ginnie Mae
The legal dispute between Ginnie Mae and Texas Capital Bank makes additional defaults by HECM lenders more likely...
R. Christopher Whalen
Oct 9, 20237 min read
1,099 views


Reverse Mortgage Bankruptcy Festers; IRA Housing Outlook
The Biden Administration has no real strategy for addressing the growing stress in the market for government insured mortgages
R. Christopher Whalen
Aug 14, 202310 min read
3,228 views


Interest Rates, MSRs, Mortgage Putbacks & FICO Scores
Persistent talk about a 5.5% 30-year mortgage rate later this year is badly wrong as TBAs flip from 5.5% to 6% coupons for delivery in June
R. Christopher Whalen
May 25, 20238 min read
1,124 views

Atlas Stumbles, Silvergate Wallows; 360 Mortgage v. Fortress (and RITM)
Are nonbank mortgage firms a risk to Ginnie Mae? Or is it really the other way around?
R. Christopher Whalen
Mar 6, 20238 min read
1,808 views


Ginnie Mae - Credit Suisse = ? A Biden MSR Tax? Does BKI + ICE = < 2?
Our view is that the BKI purchase is a horrible deal for ICE shareholders, a value killer of epic proportions
R. Christopher Whalen
Feb 13, 20238 min read
1,052 views

Record Losses for Mortgage Banks Presage Tough Year Ahead
Is 2023 the year of the Return of the Distressed Loan Trade?
R. Christopher Whalen
Nov 19, 20221 min read
543 views


Loan Delinquency, EBOs & Ginnie Mae MSRs
It seems obvious that the reported book value metrics coming from many commercial banks, REITs and mortgage banks are a tad inflated...
R. Christopher Whalen
Nov 15, 20226 min read
770 views


Short QE, Long Volatility
Until the FOMC raises interest rates to more “normal” levels, we don’t expect actual volatility to decline.
R. Christopher Whalen
Sep 27, 20223 min read
452 views


The Bear Case for Ginnie Mae Issuers
The nightmare scenario in the government loan market is that FHA loan delinquency rises to the point where issuers become insolvent
R. Christopher Whalen
Sep 22, 20228 min read
731 views

Interview: Scott Olson of Community Home Lenders of America
The banks have left the government market. Now Ginnie Mae seems bound and determined to drive the IMBs out of government lending as well
R. Christopher Whalen
Aug 24, 20226 min read
704 views

Interest Rates, FinTechs & MSRs
Interest rates are starting to be very positive, and bank deposit rates are barely moving, so pretense of fintech as bank killer is over
R. Christopher Whalen
Aug 21, 20227 min read
570 views

News: Improving Liquidity for Ginnie Mae Servicing Assets
Collateralized lending in the US was essentially impossible outside of banks from 1925 through the mid-1970s...
R. Christopher Whalen
Feb 9, 20222 min read
301 views

GNMA Issuer Rule Threatens Government Market
This rule could cost literally tens of billions in losses to banks and nonbanks alike...
R. Christopher Whalen
Jul 19, 20217 min read
2,052 views
Christopher Whalen
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