MSR

Lower rates hurt the value of Impac Mortgage Holdings' servicing rights and overall earnings in the first quarter, but they could help improve the company's second-quarter results.

Ocwen Financial, Fidelity Information Services and Fidelity's corporate parent have agreed to settle a lawsuit over regulatory audit expenses Fidelity submitted to Ocwen for reimbursement.

Lower interest rates caused mortgage serving rights runoff plus a charge to the fair value of that portfolio and led to Ocwen Financial posting a first-quarter loss.

Private-label mortgage securitizations with variable servicing fee arrangements could become more common going forward as issuers look to increase investor cash flow while reducing the loan servicer's economic exposure, Fitch said.

First-quarter year-over-year results declined at a pair of mortgage bankers active in the acquisitions market as well as at the provider of the most used servicing technology.

In a long-term attempt to stabilize its earnings from the cyclical nature of home loans, HomeStreet took a loss in the opening quarter of 2019.

Even after integrating the 52 Wells Fargo branches acquired in December as part of its efforts to diversify beyond home lending, Flagstar Bancorp's first-quarter earnings were driven by increased mortgage revenue.

Consumers increasing their online shopping for homes and loans is a reason why mortgage servicers' retention rates haven't improved much since the downturn, according to a marketing technology firm executive.

Surging loan production expenses and low revenue killed profits in 2018 for loans originated by independent mortgage bankers and subsidiaries of chartered banks, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Citigroup's first quarter mortgage-related revenue increased compared with the fourth quarter — although down slightly from the same period last year — as its lending operations continued to contract.