Origination

Mortgage interest rates increased for the first time in 2017, ending a run of three weeks where they were down, according to Freddie Mac.

Radian Group reported fourth-quarter net income of $61.1 million, down 18% from $74.5 million for the same period in 2015.

Purchases of new homes fell in December to a 10-month low, suggesting the post-election jump in mortgage rates pushed out potential buyers.

Profits at Astoria Financial in Lake Success, N.Y., fell along with net interest income in the fourth quarter.

Umpqua Holdings in Portland, Ore., reported an increase in profits, as a spike in fees compensated for lower interest income.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is seeking a significant amount of information from lenders that specialize in making chattel loans to manufactured homebuyers due to a lack of reliable data on the market.

A pair of Long Island, N.Y., residents admitted to defrauding a Rochester, N.Y.-based mortgage company of $1.2 million in a straw borrower scam.

The phrase "it is what it is" came up several times as CEO Joseph Ficalora addressed analysts' questions about nixing plans to buy Astoria and the challenges of getting another deal done.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed the 20,000 threshold for the first time Wednesday, but the post-election stock market rally has produced a mixed bag for mortgage demand and the industry's publicly traded companies.

Despite claims that digitizing the mortgage process will require less human capital, consumer desires for people on the other end of the phone or computer will keep mortgage loan officers in demand for the foreseeable future.