Despite an uptick in homebuilding and favorable financing rates, Hovnanian Enterprises' latest earnings results remained in the red due to a charge the company took to reposition debt.

Lender profitability rose to a high not seen since 2012 in the Mortgage Bankers Association's latest quarterly report despite some variability in revenue generated per loan.

Such credits, which reflect borrowers with financial challenges, increased significantly during the third quarter.

Impac Mortgage Holdings generated $1.4 million in net income during the third quarter in earnings that were favorable compared to a string of losses in the past year.

The two newest private mortgage insurance companies had their best quarters ever for new insurance written, aided by the increase in consumers refinancing with less than 20% home equity.

Zillow Group reported third-quarter revenue that beat estimates as growing sales in its online marketing and home-flipping businesses sent shares higher in late trading.

Black Knight and PennyMac Financial Services are suing each other in separate disputes linked respectively to the latter's creation of a servicing platform and the former's dominant position in the market.

Ocwen Financial's cost-cutting initiatives are bearing fruit toward returning to profitability, management said, although the company's third-quarter loss was slightly higher than the same period one year ago.

The Dallas company said it should be able to avoid restating past financial results. It also reported higher quarterly earnings helped by increased mortgage activity.

More private mortgage insurers reported significant year-over-year gains in new business during the third quarter, mainly driven by the increase in refinance volume.

A risk management model revision that decreased single-family loan-loss allowances and a strong mortgage lending environment contributed to consistent earnings results at Fannie Mae in the third quarter.

Record originations helped Mr. Cooper Group generate its first full-quarter profit since its formation through a merger between WMIH and Nationstar last year.

Shares in the lender fell after it reported lower third-quarter profits, said nonperforming assets rose and cautioned that it had lost multifamily loan deals to competitors offering easier terms.

Freddie Mac will make haste to leave conservatorship in line with new regulatory directives, but it's uncertain how quickly it can move, CEO David Brickman said in an earnings call.

Home lenders will benefit from elevated refinance activity through the first half of next year, but volume may then fall off quickly, according the Mortgage Bankers Association's latest forecast.

The acquisition of the Ditech forward mortgage business will double New Residential's year-to-date origination volume in the fourth quarter alone, and further double that next year.

The latest round of earnings reports from home lending businesses and vendors continue the positive vibe for the sector as most reported year-over-year improvement in profitability.

The unexpected rise in refinancings during the third quarter affected mortgage industry business results in a mostly positive fashion for the period.

Count Citizens Financial’s Bruce Van Saun among those who think interest rate cuts could halt by mid-2020. The key, he says, is to focus on delivering services customers are willing to pay fees for and to skillfully reprice deposits until then.

The Minneapolis company attributed the uptick to new tech tools, additional loan officers and other process improvements — not to mention the refi boom fueled by lower rates. It’s a formula other banks are expected to copy.