Banks and thrifts reported a total of $3.12 billion in income on their mortgage-banking operations during the fourth quarter of 2017, a 12.6 percent downturn from the previous period, according to an Inside Mortgage Trends analysis of call reports. The final lap of 2017 generated the weakest quarterly profit figure for the industry since the disastrous second quarter of 2011, when banks booked a massive $9.37 billion loss on mortgage banking. Most of that loss ... [Includes one data chart]

After surging to an unusually high level of 26.6 percent in 2016, market share for the VA home-loan guaranty program eased to 24.1 percent last year…

Prior to release of 4Q17 results, the GSEs had an “account balance” of $103.0 billion with Uncle Sam: $291.4 billion of dividends paid to Treasury versus $188.4 billion of assistance received.

This is the fourth in a series of RFIs announced as part of Acting Director Mick Mulvaney’s “call for evidence.”

The budget proposal calls for exempting “small lenders” – companies that generate about 20 percent of FHA business – from the IT fee.

Joshua Rosner, managing director of Graham Fisher & Co., states: “This sounds like the early stages of a utility model..."

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac both suffered from what’s likely to be a one-time event that resulted in a hit on their earnings for the fourth quarter thanks to the late 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that impacted their deferred tax assets.

As National Association of Realtors Vice President Joe Ventrone put it: “It’s an unintended consequence of the tax bill rather than falling into the bailout narrative.”

At Quicken, Carroll served as executive vice president where he helped develop the lender’s positions on key policy issues.

Dealmakers point to not only higher interest rates but lower anticipated loan production and MSR values that are firming up.