Stocks

Title insurers benefited from the increase in origination volume — especially refinancings — during the second quarter, as open order counts increased compared with one year prior.

Altisource Portfolio Solutions cut its previous-quarter net loss by 49% in its most recent fiscal period, when property maintenance revenue and new Hubzu real estate auction site inventory increased.

MGIC reported higher-than-expected earnings, seen as a positive for the other mortgage insurers, plus Flagstar and KeyCorp had strong quarters for their mortgage businesses.

Pretax mortgage income at NVR Inc. surged 37% year-over-year in the second quarter while originations rose 1%, contrasting more tepid home-loan earnings results relative to originations at big banks.

Hovnanian Enterprises, the corporate parent of homebuilder K Hovnanian Homes, received a new notice from the New York Stock Exchange indicating its low market capitalization could jeopardize its listing status.

The second quarter continues to shape up as a good one for bank mortgage lenders — and one ancillary service provider — that are benefiting from a spike in volume.

Despite a significant rise in first-mortgage production due to lower interest rates, profits from home lending in Citigroup's retail banking division fell slightly in the second quarter.

Builder MDC Holdings' preliminary numbers for net new home orders registered their highest quarterly increase in years, adding to signs of growing demand for housing.

Mortgage rates ticked up slightly this week with opposing trends in the stock and bond markets fighting for dominance, according to Freddie Mac.

Genworth Financial is marketing its stake in Genworth MI Canada in a possible last-ditch effort to save the long-delayed proposed acquisition by China Oceanwide.