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.

The company has agreed to buy the operations of Veterans Mortgage in Salt Lake City.

SunTrust sold an insurance financing unit that it deemed noncore, but it is on the lookout to buy more complementary businesses such as a CRE lender it acquired last year.

The Tennessee company also set high expectations for revenue opportunities while projecting it will deliver a 15% return on equity in 2019.

A New York banker who mastered the art of buying low and selling high, broke industry norms and learned from his mistakes in commercial real estate, John Kanas became a model regional bank builder. After stepping down as BankUnited's CEO last year, he wants to do "one more thing" before fully calling it quits.

HomeStreet's CEO said mortgage expansion and bank acquisitions — concerns highlighted recently by Blue Lion Capital — are helping the company diversify.

The Michigan company, which lost more than $1.4 billion in the aftermath of the financial crisis, is trying to become more of a commercial lender. Its recent agreement to buy a deposit-rich franchise in California could help it get there.

Blue Lion Capital believes a heavy focus on mortgages and acquisitions is hurting HomeStreet's financial performance.

Mortgage Contracting Services will acquire Carrington Home Solutions' property preservation division in a deal expected to close by the end of the year.

Mid America Mortgage's deal to acquire the assets of two Oklahoma City-based lenders will double the Addison, Texas, company's loan volume.

The J.G. Wentworth Co.'s financial results improved in the third quarter, due in part to an increase in mortgage originations, but it continued to operate at a loss.

Sterling Bancorp in New York is determined to turn Astoria Financial's largely residential operation into a commercial powerhouse. While investors are skeptical, CEO Jack Kopnisky has proven in the past that such an ambitious plan is doable.

Lenders holding a majority share in The J.G. Wentworth Co. agreed late last week to restructure and deleverage the embattled company as its operations stabilize and its mortgage unit grows.

TCF is looking to diversify its streams of revenue as it dials back auto lending amid concerns about weakening credit quality.

The Tennessee bank said it has bought Professional Mortgage in Greenville, S.C., which services about $1.1 billion of commercial mortgage loans for 23 correspondent life company lenders.

The Tupelo, Miss., company has recouped its “satisfactory” community reinvestment rating, removing a regulatory obstacle to two pending acquisitions.

With a debt deadline looming and regulators again delaying approval of its takeover by China Ocwenwide, Genworth Financial is weighing how to protect its private mortgage insurance unit from its troubled life insurance business.

Armada Analytics, a commercial real estate underwriting and asset management services provider, acquired Anabranch Flood, a provider of flood risk assessment services.