Mortgage industry vendors' earnings varied based on the effectiveness of the strategies they used to contend with origination declines and other factors.

Flagstar Bancorp returned to profitability in the first quarter after tax reform caused a loss in fourth quarter, but its mortgage revenues dropped 15% due to margin compression and lower volume.

The Seattle company has faced criticism from an investor over its commitment to the business, which lost money in the first quarter.

The Cincinnati bank reported strong profits, but its efforts to lower credit risk curbed lending as expenses rose in the first quarter.

The Providence, R.I., company reported a double-digit increase in quarterly profits despite a year-over-year decline in fee-based revenue.

The news of the data breach cast a shadow over relatively strong first-quarter earnings for the Atlanta bank.

However, mortgage growth and servicing income weren't the only reasons profits rose by double digits at the Dallas bank.

MGIC Investment Corp.'s first-quarter net income beat analysts' estimates due to favorable loss development and that should be seen with the other private mortgage insurers.

Ditech Holding Corp. lost $426.9 million in 2017, with almost half of that recorded during the fourth quarter, when the company filed for bankruptcy.

Lending, especially in some consumer segments, increased at Bank of America in the first quarter, and CEO Brian Moynihan expects that to continue this year. However, for market watchers skeptical about the industry's growth prospects, BofA's numbers may do little to change their minds.