Stocks

A federal appeals court upheld a ruling that barred hedge funds from suing to overturn the U.S. government's 2012 decision to capture billions of dollars in the profits generated by the mortgage guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after their bailout.

New Residential Investment Corp. had net income of $225 million in the fourth quarter, more than double the $103 million reported for the same period in 2015.

The change of power in the White House will not affect Fannie Mae's focus for 2017 in bringing innovations similar to the Day 1 Certainty program to its customers, CEO Timothy Mayopoulos said in an interview.

Genworth Financial's U.S. mortgage insurance business had adjusted operating income of $61 million in the fourth quarter, up over 50% from the same period in 2015, as its new insurance written grew by 42% year over year.

PennyMac Financial Services reported higher income, reflecting larger net gains on mortgage loans held for sale.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed the 20,000 threshold for the first time Wednesday, but the post-election stock market rally has produced a mixed bag for mortgage demand and the industry's publicly traded companies.

Fidelity National Financial plans to distribute the stock it owns in Black Knight Financial Services to its shareholders as part of a plan to simplify the corporate structure of the two companies and increase Black Knight's liquidity.

Fannie Mae joined Freddie Mac in announcing plans to delist some previously issued Connecticut Avenue Securities, which transfer the credit risk on residential mortgages, from the Irish Stock Exchange.

Fannie Mae's new representation and warranty relief offers lenders a long-awaited incentive to use its automated loan validation technology. But is it enough for lenders to make the necessary technology updates and process changes to implement the tools?

Deutsche Bank jumped in Frankfurt trading after a media report that the lender is nearing a $5.4 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in a probe tied to residential mortgage-backed securities, less than half an initial request.