Social Finance has acquired the engineering and product teams of mortgage startup Clara Lending, bolstering the financial technology company's offerings beyond student-loan refinancing, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Seattle company, which is gearing up for a proxy battle with Blue Lion Capital, appointed a former U.S. Bancorp executive to fill a board vacancy.

The Illinois company reported strong loan growth, an wider net interest margin and a one-time net tax benefit of nearly $8 million tied to recently passed tax reform.

Blue Lion Capital, which had a recent request for a board seat rejected, plans to nominate multiple people to run for the board at HomeStreet's next annual meeting.

The company, which bought BNC Bancorp to enter North Carolina last year, recorded $19.1 million in merger-related expenses and an $8.3 million pretax loss tied to investment securities.

Guild Mortgage is adding to its Midwestern mortgage origination operations through the acquisition of Cornerstone Mortgage of St. Louis.

Genworth Financial's acquisition by a Chinese insurance company, which has already been delayed several times, might be in peril following the failure of another cross-border merger to gain approval.

Lower mortgage loan origination volume in 2018, on top of 2017's decline, will lead to further reduction in title insurer profitability and a possible increase of merger activity.

Lending outside the qualified mortgage rule will likely become more prominent in 2018, as originators continue to struggle to replace lost refinance volume and their compliance and risk management processes become more robust.

The company will pay $186 million for First Bank Lubbock in a deal that also includes mortgage unit PrimeWest Mortgage.