The same day Provident Financial Services announced it had agreed to buy Lakeland for $1.3 billion, the seller disclosed an ongoing fair-lending investigation by the Justice Department. Provident said it has "not heard anything" that would give it pause.

The deal with American Mortgage Services Co. comes as originations continue to slow. However, lower valuations may be limiting current M&A activity, according to some experts.

SPS will have roughly 1.4 million mortgages in its portfolio after the transaction closes, something the two companies estimate will occur in the fourth quarter of this year.

National real estate company Redfin is looking for a new tenant to take over the Frisco, Texas office space that housed its now-shuttered mortgage division.

The transaction to buy Roscoe State Bank is slated to close around Oct. 1, subject to completion of the remaining closing conditions.

With Mortgage Bankers Association numbers showing just 57% were profitable in the second quarter, companies have tough decisions to make, but they have options that will help many stay the course.

The Community Home Lenders Association and the Community Mortgage Lenders of America are combining under a new name, the Community Home Lenders of America.

The rating agency has revised the long-term issuer default rating for PacWest Bancorp and its banking subsidiary, Pacific Western Bank, from "BBB" to "BBB-" and says it doesn't expect the bank's common equity Tier 1 ratio to bounce back anytime soon.

The REIT is paying a $10.5 million premium to acquire the company, which will allow it to bring servicing in-house.

The Tennessee-based originator is now a private-label retail group, which has branches in Alabama and Kentucky in addition to its home state.

The deal also includes the Homefacts website

The company formerly known as UniversalCIS Credit Plus, which offers credit report services and appraisal technology, adds a new vertical to offer its mortgage lender clients.

Intercontinental Exchange's move to acquire Black Knight and Lower's purchase of Hamilton Home Loans are just some of the latest developments to monitor in the space.

And in other consolidation news, HomeServices of America’s Pickford Escrow Co. picks up competitor Legendary Escrow Services.

The transaction adds 11 branches in Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Texas to AnnieMac's nationwide 60-plus office network.

The transaction formalizes the relationship started by a January investment in both companies by LLR Partners.

These transactions look to add territories or products to counter the effects of origination activity contracting.

The all-stock deal follows a boom in demand for interim financing on purchases, which HomeLight had been looking to offer on a larger scale.

ICE’s deal could give it pricing power over the industry to the detriment of smaller lenders and consumers, the nonbank mortgage trade group said in a letter to the Justice Department

Delays in closing the deal after it was announced in August resulted in the parties' decision to remain separate, although they will still work together.