Mortgage originations continued to gain momentum in the third quarter of 2017, although most experts are calling for a slowdown in the final three months of the year. An estimated $495.0 billion of first-lien home loans were originated during the third quarter, according to a new Inside Mortgage Finance ranking and analysis. That represented an 8.8 percent increase over the April-June cycle and brought year-to-date production to $1.335 trillion – off ... [Includes two data charts[