Investments

Growth outside of its residential mortgage business contributed to Flagstar Bank beating first-quarter earnings estimates, company executives said.

Stewart Information Services Corp. posted net income in the first quarter of $4.1 million, a turnaround from the $11.2 million loss one year ago.

MGIC Investment Corp. had net income of $89.8 million for the first quarter, an increase of nearly 30% over the same period last year of $69.2 million.

Mortgage bankers' first-quarter earnings should be down from the fourth quarter in tandem with the reduction in origination volume.

Impac Mortgage Holdings sold $56 million of its common stock as part of a plan to securitize non-qualified mortgage loans.

The Loan Syndications and Trading Association is appealing directly to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to exempt collateralized loan obligation managers from rules requiring "skin in the game" of deals.

Some are wording the language of amendments used to refinance deals so as to be able to benefit if risk retention rules are repealed.

Global Index Group has developed a new product based on the NCREIF Property Index, which measures the performance of some $525 billion of CRE held on behalf of tax-exempt institutions.

Most Federal Reserve officials agree that they will begin shrinking their super-sized balance sheet later this year.

Consolidation among large independent mortgage bankers is likely as several lack the financial wherewithal to deal with the changing environment, Moody's said.