Financial institutions

Nondepository mortgage companies cut another 1,500 workers in March as the housing market's peak season got underway, suggesting that even with business potentially picking up, lenders remain cautious about hiring.

New licensing rules for mortgage professionals servicing loans secured by New Jersey properties will go into effect this summer, adding to a trend toward tighter state regulation of standalone servicers.

Historically, rising interest rates have enabled banks to earn more, but this time around in the banking industry, like much else, things are a little different.

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.

The Minneapolis bank reported mid- to high-single-digit improvement in those categories, but total loan growth was curbed by declines in CRE and other credit types.

The civil rights activist Jesse Jackson is pushing a proposal that the billions banks have paid in fines be given to Americans who lost homes or suffered in other ways during the financial crisis.

Sluggish growth in originations spurs consolidation. Keep in mind, there's more to M&A than just agreeing on a price.

Nondepositories in the mortgage business cut 2,900 more jobs in February, bringing industry employment to its lowest point in nearly three years.

Housing finance reform could give banks an advantage and challenge nonbanks if it reduces Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's involvement in the mortgage market, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Independent mortgage bankers lost the largest amount for originating a loan in the fourth quarter since this data has been tracked, as costs rose and volume dropped, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage lenders' gain on the sale of loans to the secondary market has finally increased after several quarters of declines, according to Richey May.

Ginnie Mae could limit how much servicing income mortgage lenders can sell off through a transaction if they don't establish a minimum 25-basis-point spread at the portfolio level by next year.

As 2019 got underway, weakness in the housing market drove the number of workers employed by nondepository mortgage companies down to a low not seen since August 2016.

Mr. Cooper Group took a net loss of $136 million in the fourth quarter after lower rates hurt the mark-to-market value of its larger mortgage servicing rights portfolio harder than its peers.

Policymakers could improve independent mortgage banks' financial stability by giving these companies improved access to liquidity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The company disclosed that it paid $146 million for servicing rights associated with $13 billion in mortgages.

Credit card issuers would have to set aside more in reserves because of higher loss histories, according to research by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods on the impact of the new loan-loss standard.

Ginnie Mae should not overreact in supervising smaller, more diversified mortgage bankers, but rather scale its approach in line with the concentration of risk that different-sized servicers pose.

Why now? Will it work? How will their rivals respond? The megadeal between the two East Coast regionals offers up plenty of grist for speculation.

The industry's largest acquisition in more than a decade will create the sixth-biggest bank in the country, with assets of more than $442 billion.