Nationstar Mortgage Holdings reported first-quarter net income nearly four times higher compared to the fourth quarter of 2017.

Costs rose at the global bank, profit in North America fell 16% and questions are mounting for new CEO John Flint ahead of the release of his strategic plan.

Fannie Mae's first-quarter profits were enough for it to rebuild its minimum capital buffer and pay the Treasury Department dividend after being forced to take a draw during the previous fiscal period.

Ocwen Financial Corp. got back in the black during the first quarter after selling New Residential Investment Corp. $110 million in economic rights to mortgage servicing.

Arch Capital Group's mortgage insurance subsidiary slipped to No. 2 in market share just five quarters after completing the acquisition of former No. 1 United Guaranty Corp.

If Freddie Mac's credit-risk transfer activities continue to grow, mortgage lenders could eventually see a reduction in the guarantee fees they pay to the government-sponsored enterprise, according to CEO Donald Layton.

New Residential Investment Corp. reported a 400% year-over-year increase in net income as its servicing revenue improved dramatically over the previous year.

Ellie Mae's first-quarter net income of a little over $2 million was lower than last year's due to some one-time expenses, but continuing operations numbers exceeded analysts' expectations.

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.

One measure of how much things have changed in the last decade at Bank of America: The firm has stopped reporting fees from its mortgage business.

First-quarter mortgage banking results at Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase were weaker than Keefe, Bruyette & Woods forecast due to lower-than-expected gain-on-sale margins.