Stocks

The mortgage loan origination system developer Ellie Mae is going private, agreeing to be acquired by the private equity firm Thoma Bravo in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.7 billion.

Ditech Holding Corp. is refiling for bankruptcy almost a year after emerging from it in order to facilitate a restructuring agreement with lenders holding more than 75% of its term loans.

Fourth-quarter increases in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage origination volume helped Walker & Dunlop reach a new quarterly high in revenue of $215 million.

Genworth's U.S. mortgage insurance unit's adjusted operating income increased over the previous year as the lower corporate tax rate and lower loss ratio overcame a 9% reduction in new insurance written.

The New York Department of Financial Services disapproved the merger between Fidelity National Financial and Stewart Information Services, regulatory filings from both title insurance underwriters said.

China Oceanwide's acquisition of Genworth has been postponed until March, prolonging uncertainty about the fate of the acquired company's U.S. private mortgage insurance unit that could be resolved by the deal.

PulteGroup's housing-finance unit recorded a year-to-year decline in its capture rate for the fourth quarter, as competition in the market intensified.

Redwood Trust has exercised its option to expand its minority stake in 5 Arches to 100%, increasing Redwood's exposure to loans used for house flipping and other types of residential investment.

Flagstar Bancorp's acquisition of 52 Midwest branches of Wells Fargo helped increase its core customer base, but its mortgage results were lower than anticipated in the fourth quarter, according to the Troy, Mich.-based bank.

The stock market's volatility during December helped to improve the potential for existing-home sales, although housing's performance remains well below its capacity, First American Financial said.